THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

AND 

THE  JOHANNINE  PROBLEM 


The  Joh  annine  Writings 

AND 

The  Joh  annine  Problem 

NOV  16  1917 

AN  AID  TO  THE  CRITICAL  STUDY     V     k  ^ 

OF   THE   BIBLE  AS   LITERATURE       ^v^^/^Cl^Hf   SO^ 


By  HENRY  C  VEDDER 


THE  GRIFFITH  AND  ROWLAND  PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA 
BOSTON  CHICAGO  ST.  LOUIS 

LOS  ANGELES  NEW  YORK  TORONTO 


Copyright  191 7  by 
GUY  C.  LAMSON,  Secretary 


Published  September,  1917 


TO 

MtlUam  ©baurr  Utlktttsott 

TEACHER,  CRITIC.  FRIEND. 

A  TOKEN  OF  GRATITUDE 

AND  AFFECTION 


PREFACE 


Diligent  study  of  literary  and  historical  criticism,  and 
equally  diligent  practice  of  composition,  in  various  fields 
of  literature,  have  been  the  chief  occupation  of  the  writer 
of  this  book  for  half  a  century.  During  all  these  years  he 
has  also  been  a  less  diligent  student,  but  still  fairly 
diligent,  of  the  Greek  language  and  literature,  classical  as 
well  as  biblical.  If,  therefore,  there  is  any  subject  of 
which  he  may  claim  expert  knowledge,  it  is  literature;  if 
there  is  a  craft  of  which  he  has  any  mastery,  it  is  the 
writer's.  So  that,  concerning  a  literary  problem,  after 
he  has  duly  studied  it,  he  hopes  that  he  may  venture  to 
speak  without  incurring  suspicion  that  he  is  one  of 
those  who  "  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread."  On  a 
question  of  literature,  nobody  can  speak  ex  cathedra 
words  to  be  received  by  others  as  infallible  and  irreform- 
able  of  themselves ;  nor  yet  with  the  authority  of  a  judge, 
who,  however  fallible,  has  both  the  right  and  duty  to 
decide  a  case  tried  before  him.  All  that  any  critic  of 
literature  can  claim  is,  such  study  and  experience  as 
entitle  his  words  to  be  duly  considered  and  well  weighed 
before  they  are  either  accepted  or  rejected.  If  the  facts, 
theories,  and  conclusions  herein  set  forth  receive  such 
consideration  as  this,  it  is  the  author's  belief  that  most  of 
them,  novel  as  they  may  at  first  appear,  will  be  accepted. 

The  kernel  of  this  discussion  was  first  published  in 
the  form  of  a  two-part  paper  entitled  "  Two  Johns  or 
One?"  in  The  Watchman  for  August  9  and  16,  1900. 
This  was  followed  by  a  series  of  seven  articles  on  the 
Apocalypse  in  the  same  religious  newspaper,  beginning 

vii 


Vlll  PREFACE 

June  28,  1906.  An  essay  on  the  content  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel  appeared  in  the  Reviezv  and  Expositor  of  April, 
1906;  while  the  same  periodical  published  in  two  suc- 
cessive numbers  (October,  19 12,  and  January,  191 3) 
a  study  of  the  Epistle  of  John.  The  remainder  now 
appears  for  the  first  time ;  and  the  older  portions  have 
been,  for  the  most  part,  so  altered  by  revision,  excision, 
and  expansion,  as  to  be  hardly  recognizable  by  a  former 
reader. 

This  has  therefore  been  a  labor  of  love  through  many 
years.  When  mind  and  body  have  been  wearied  by  other 
tasks,  rest  and  refreshment  have  often  been  found  by 
turning  to  this.  It  has  furnished  delightful  occupation 
for  many  vacation  days.  Some  parts  of  the  text  have 
entailed  an  amount  of  work  so  disproportionate  to  the 
visible  results  as  to  be  incredible  to  any  one  who  has 
never  attempted  a  like  venture — such  as  the  investigation 
of  the  Johannine  vocabularies.  If  an  author  could  only 
be  certain  that  the  value  of  his  results  might  be  measured 
by  what  they  have  cost  him  in  toil,  with  how  light  a 
heart  could  he  send  a  child  of  his  brain  out  into  the 
world!  But  one  may  at  least  hope  that  he  has  done 
something,  if  only  a  little,  to  promote  study  and  under- 
standing of  a  vital  part  of  the  most  vital  of  all  books. 

Crozer  Theological  Seminary, 


CONTENTS 


PART  I.    A  CRITICAL  STUDY  OF  THE 
JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

According  to  Modern  Literary  Canons 

Chapter  Page 

I.  The  Apocalypse  and  Its  Literary  Form  . .       3 
II.  Content  and   Significance  of  the   Apoc- 
alypse        24 

III.  The  Fourth  Gospel  :  Its  Plan  and  Literary 

Characteristics   50 

IV.  The  Content  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 80 

V.  The    Epistles    of    John:    Their    Literary 

Characteristics  and  Content 99 

VI.  The  Johannine  Problem  :   The   External 

Testimony    133 

VII.  The   Johannine   Problem  :    The   Internal 

Evidence 155 

PART  II.     A  NEW  TRANSLATION  OF  THE 
JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

Arranged  in  Modern  Literary  Form 

Introduction 207 

I.  The  Apocalypse  217 

II.  The  Gospel  According  to  John 266 

III.  The  First  Epistle  of  John 340 

The  Second  Epistle  of  John 351 

The  Third  Epistle  of  John 353 

Index    355 


PART  I 

A  CRITICAL  STUDY  OF  THE 
JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

According  to  Modern  Literary  Canons 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  APOCALYPSE  AND  ITS  LITERARY  FORM 


IN  one  respect  at  least,  the  Apocalypse  is  unique:  it 
claims  more  divine  authority  and  is  accorded  less  than 
any  other  book  in  the  New  Testament.  Most  of  the 
canonical  books  make  no  specific  claim  to  inspiration  or 
authority;  but  the  Apocalypse  claims  both,  and  to  such 
extent  that  for  anybody  to  alter  a  syllable  of  it  is  to 
endanger,  or  rather  to  lose,  his  salvation.  And  yet  it  is 
probably  one  of  the  least  read  books  of  the  Bible.  We 
all  have  a  private  canon  of  our  own — certain  books  or 
parts  of  books  that  we  believe  to  be  especially  valuable — 
to  which  we  turn  for  comfort  and  instruction.  We  may 
believe  the  whole  Bible;  we  may  try  to  study  the  whole 
Bible ;  but  this  is  our  real  Bible.  And  how  many  of  us 
include  in  this  private  canon  the  Revelation  ? 

And  yet  this  is  one  of  the  most  interesting,  and  might 
be  one  of  the  most  instructive,  of  our  sacred  books. 
It  well  deserves  to  be  among  those  most  frequently  read 
and  best  loved.  The  lack  of  honor  in  which  it  is  at 
present  held  has  an  easily  discovered  cause;  it  has  been 
the  worst-abused  writing  in  the  New  Testament.  All 
sorts  of  wild-eyed  cranks  have  gone  to  it  for  con- 
firmation of  their  theories,  and  they  have  twisted  and 
tortured  its  words  to  obtain  the  desired  testimony  in  their 
favor,  as  never  heretic  was  racked  in  the  dungeons  of  the 
Inquisition.  A  welter  of  conflicting  interpretations  has 
gathered  about  the  text,  until  the  average  man  has  con- 
cluded that  nobody  knows  anything  about  its  meaning — 

3 


4  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

that  the  Revelation  is  an  insoluble  mystery,  about  which 
he  would  be  foolish  to  concern  himself.  And  so,  pos- 
sibly excepting  the  closing  chapters,  he  seldom  reads  the 
book;  and  when  he  does  read  it,  the  light  that  shines 
from  it  serves  only  to  make  darkness  visible. 

A  study  of  the  ordinary  commentary  on  the  Revela- 
tion, and  indeed,  of  most  commentaries,  invites  the  con- 
clusion that  if  the  commentator's  method  is  sound,  and 
his  results  valid,  the  sacred  writers  used  language  to 
conceal  their  thought,  which  must  be  painfully  dug  for 
and  extracted  in  small  fragments.  On  the  contrary,  the 
canon  of  interpretation  should  be  this:  The  writers  of 
Scripture  used  language  to  convey  their  thought,  and 
they  succeeded  at  least  as  well  as  most  writers  do.  What- 
ever the  content  of  "  inspiration  "  may  be,  the  influence 
of  the  divine  Spirit  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  rendered 
a  writer  less  skilful  in  his  craft  than  the  uninspired. 
Therefore,  a  meaning  that  has  to  be  painfully  dug  out 
is  not  there.  Exegesis,  as  actually  practised  through  the 
Christian  ages,  may  be  defined  as  the  science  of  dis- 
covering what  the  sacred  writers  never  intended  to  say. 
Suppose  we  begin  our  study  with  the  assumption  that  the 
Apocalypse  was  written,  not  to  conceal  thought,  but  to 
convey  ideas?  We  may  as  well  dismiss  at  once  the 
hypothesis  that  it  is  a  series  of  puzzles  to  which  nobody 
can  find  the  key.  The  Revelation  is  prophecy,  not  predic- 
tion; and  they  who  go  to  it  as  an  oracle  to  learn  what 
things  are  in  the  womb  of  the  future  misuse  the  book, 
and  will  get  from  it  nothing  but  harm.  The  idea  so  long 
prevalent  that  the  Apocalypse  is  a  treatise  on  the  philos- 
ophy of  history,  has  done  untold  mischief,  and  has  hin- 
dered thousands  of  readers  from  gaining  any  understand- 
ing of  what  the  book  does  mean. 

We  are  to  study  the  Apocalypse  as  literature.  This 
study  of  the  Bible  as  literature  has  only  begun  of  late 


apocalypse:  literary  form  5 

years  to  be  seriously  pursued;  but  it  has  already  thrown 
much  new  light  on  the  meaning  of  the  Book.  There  is 
still  some  prejudice  against  this  study,  because  the  pur- 
pose and  method  are  misapprehended.  Literary  study 
of  the  Bible  does  not  preclude  nor  hinder,  nor  even 
discourage,  devotional  study,  but  constitutes  an  indis- 
pensable preparation  for  genuine  devotional  study.  The 
spiritual  content  of  any  writing  is  conveyed  through 
literary  forms,  and  the  content  cannot  be  accurately  or 
fully  comprehended  until  the  form  has  been  studied  and 
understood.  Literary  study  is  so  far  from  being  irreverent 
that  if  it  should  become  irreverent  it  would  prove  futile ; 
for  it  is  well  understood  that  no  great  work  of  literature 
can  be  successfully  studied  unless  it  is  studied  sym- 
pathetically. Lovers  of  the  Bible  should  encourage  its 
literary  study,  because  the  new  method  will  continually 
cause  new  light  to  break  forth  from  God's  word,  and  his 
truth  will  speak  to  us  with  fresh  emphasis  and  gain  a 
stronger  hold  on  our  faith  as  we  come  to  appreciate 
better  what  an  incomparable  body  of  literature  is  this 
collection  that  we  call  The  Book. 

Studied  as  literature,  the  Apocalypse  takes  on  a  charac- 
ter wholly  new  to  many  readers.  We  discover  that  it  is  a 
dramatic  poem — that  is  to  say,  it  is  a  dramatic  poem  in 
substance  and  spirit.  Judged  by  strict  literary  canons, 
its  form  is  not  always  dramatic,  and  only  sometimes 
poetic.  It  was  one  of  our  greatest  English  poets  who 
first  discovered  and  announced  the  book's  character — 
John  Milton,  when  he  said:  "And  the  Apocalypse  of 
Saint  John  is  the  majestic  image  of  a  high  and  stately 
tragedy,  shutting  up  and  intermingling  her  solemn  scenes 
and  acts  with  a  sevenfold  chorus  of  hallelujahs  and  harp- 
ing symphonies."  But  Milton  did  not  develop  his  idea, 
and  no  one  since  his  day  has  had  the  insight  and  courage 
to  attempt  the  task.     A  number  of  writers  have  had 


6  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

glimpses  of  the  truth,  and  have  given  hints  to  their 
readers  of  what  might  be  done,  but  a  systematic  study  of 
the  book  with  this  as  the  guiding  principle  has  never 
been  undertaken. 

When  we  call  the  Apocalypse  a  dramatic  poem,  no  one 
should  understand  that  it  was  intended  to  be  acted.  If 
the  author  had  ever  read  a  drama,  which  is  more  than 
doubtful,  he  certainly  made  no  attempt  to  imitate  one. 
The  resemblances  of  the  Apocalypse  to  a  Greek  tragedy 
are  few,  and  of  the  most  superficial  kind.  The  twenty- 
four  Elders  play,  to  some  extent,  the  part  of  a  Greek 
chorus,  and  besides  their  frequent  chants,  there  are  others 
of  similar  character  introduced  from  time  to  time.  There 
is  occasional  dialogue.  And  with  these  features  the 
resemblances  begin  and  end. 

Likewise,  when  the  Apocalypse  is  called  a  poem,  the 
reader  must  not  look  for  the  Western  verse  to  which  he 
is  accustomed,  or  for  verse  of  the  classic  period;  or  he 
will  be  disappointed.  There  is  no  verse  in  the  Revelation. 
What  rhythm  there  is  (and  there  is  a  good  deal)  is 
sentence  rhythm — rhythm  that  depends  for  its  eflfect  on 
the  balancing  of  clauses,  on  the  parallelism  or  antithesis 
of  ideas,  not  on  the  regular  succession  of  syllables.  It  is 
the  rhythm  of  the  Psalms  and  of  Hebrew  poetry  in 
general  that  we  find  in  the  Apocalypse.  And  this  is  just 
what  we  might  expect  to  find  there.  The  whole  book 
shows  how  the  author's  mind  was  steeped  in  the  Old 
Testament  literature;  in  culture  and  mentality  he  is  a 
Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews.  What  could  be  more  natural 
than  that  such  a  writer  should  throw  his  lofty  spiritual 
ideas  into  the  forms  of  Hebrew  poetry? 

One  marvels  that  this  striking  literary  characteristic 
should  have  gone  so  many  centuries  unmarked.  The 
poetry  of  the  Apocalypse — Hebrew  in  spirit  and  form, 
Greek  in  words  only — is  such  poetry  as  the  Magnificat 


apocalypse:  Literary  form  7 

(Luke  I  :  46-55),  or  the  Nunc  Dimittis  (Luke  2  :  29- 
32),  both  of  which  the  Revised  Version  has  had  the 
grace  to  print  in  poetic  form.  Versions  of  the  Psalms, 
and  of  part,  at  least,  of  the  Prophets,  have  been  made  at 
various  times,  in  which  the  peculiar  Hebraic  poetic  spirit 
and  poetic  forms  have  been  given  appropriate  typograph- 
ical expression ;  but  what  version  even  hints  at  the  pres- 
ence of  a  poetic  element  in  the  Revelation  ?  And  yet  one 
would  suppose  that  nobody  who  had  studied  the  Psalms 
could  mistake  the  literary  character  of  such  a  passage 
as  this: 

And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come; 

And  let  him  that  hears  say,  Come ; 

And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come ; 

Let  him  that  wills  take  the  Water  of  Life  freely. 

Or  this : 

To  Him  that  loved  us 

And  freed  us  from  our  sins  by  his  blood. 

And  made  us  a  kingdom  and  priests  to  God  and  his  Father, 

To  Him  be  honor  and  power,  unto  the  ages.  Amen. 

So  much  for  the  literary  form  of  this  book.  What  of 
the  purpose  of  the  writer?  What  ideas  did  he  attempt 
to  express  through  this  form  ? 

The  Apocalypse  was  evidently  composed  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  persecution,  to  encourage  those  who  were 
undergoing  this  fiery  ordeal.  For  our  present  purpose  it 
matters  little  what  this  historic  occasion  was.  Not  less 
evident  than  this  purpose  of  the  writer  are  his  two 
dominant  ideas :  the  judgment  and  downfall  of  the  great 
adversary  of  the  faith,  the  imperial  power  of  Rome,  are 
both  certain  and  "  soon  "  to  occur ;  the  triumph  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  the  reign  of  Christ  as  King  cannot 
be  withstood  or  delayed  even  by  the  power  of  mighty 
Rome,  and  the  reward  of  those  who  endure  to  the  end 


8  THE    JOHANNIXE    WRITINGS 

is  as  certain  and  as  great  as  the  triumph  of  their  King. 
On  these  thoughts  the  changes  are  rung  throughout  the 
book,  which  becomes  at  once  a  prophecy  and  a  war-cry. 
And  what  thoughts  could  have  been  so  well  fitted  to 
sustain  Christ's  witnesses,  to  give  them  the  hope  and 
courage  and  enthusiasm  that  would  carry  them  trium- 
phantly through  their  martyrdom?  Though  apparently 
losers  in  the  contest  with  Rome,  they  would  know  them- 
selves to  be  on  the  winning  side ;  and  like  the  soldier  who 
falls  in  battle,  they  saw  the  hour  of  victory  approaching, 
and  died  with  a  smile.  None  of  the  canonical  books  was 
more  highly  appreciated  by  that  large  section  of  the 
early  Church  which  first  received  it  as  canonical,  than  the 
Apocalypse.  And  there  were  good  reasons  for  so  high 
an  estimate. 

To  understand  the  book,  therefore,  we  must  approach 
it  from  the  writer's  point  of  view  and  put  ourselves  back, 
so  far  as  we  may,  into  the  atmosphere  of  the  first  century. 
The  writer  has  given  us  a  clue  to  the  mass  of  perplexing 
details  in  the  one  word  "  soon."  To  his  vision  it  is  the 
immediate  future,  not  the  distant,  that  is  unrolled.  He  is 
not  attempting  to  foretell  the  history  of  the  Church 
for  fifteen  or  twenty  centuries,  but  to  comfort  his  terribly 
tried  brethren  by  visions  of  things  that  are  to  take  place 
in  the  near  future — within  the  lifetime,  probably,  of  many 
who  should  read.  This  thought  is  so  often  repeated  as 
to  leave  no  possibility  of  doubt  as  to  the  writer's  purpose. 
He  describes  his  book  in  the  opening  sentences  as  the 
revelation  of  things  that  must  shortly  come  to  pass ;  and 
the  conclusion  of  the  title,  or  introductory  section,  is,  "  the 
crisis  is  at  hand"  (i  :  3).  Marks  of  the  speedy  accom- 
plishment of  the  visions  abound  throughout  the  book 
(e.  g.,  I  :  19;  3  :  11;  6  :  11;  10  :  6,  7).  To  leave  no 
room  for  doubt  in  the  minds  of  his  readers,  he  repeats  his 
assertions  in  the  closing  verses  of  the  last  vision  {22  :  6, 


apocalypse:  literary  form  9 

7,  10),  and  adds  another  equally  emphatic  declaration, 
twice  repeated  by  Jesus  himself,  *'  Behold,  I  am  coming 
quickly"  (22  :  12,  20).  How  can  there  be  any  question 
after  this  of  John's  point  of  view  and  the  scope  of  his 


visions 


The  beginning  of  all  study  of  a  writing  must  be  to  in- 
quire what  the  author  meant  to  convey  by  it,  and  what 
would  naturally  be  understood  by  those  for  whom  he 
wrote.  The  beginning  of  all  study  must  be  this,  but  not 
necessarily  the  end.  A  book  certainly  does  mean  what  its 
author  consciously  puts  into  it,  but  it  may  mean  a  good 
deal  more.  This  is  true  of  any  great  work  of  human 
genius.  A  Shakespeare,  a  Browning,  says  a  vast  deal 
more  to  the  world  through  his  writings  than  ever  passed 
through  his  own  mind.  Literature — especially  that  form 
of  literature  which  we  call  poetry — is  like  music  and 
painting,  in  that  its  office  is  not  merely  to  say,  but  to  sug- 
gest. It  conveys  thought,  but  it  also  stimulates  thinking. 
And  in  a  great  drama,  as  in  a  great  symphony,  there  is  not 
only  all  the  meaning  of  which  the  composer  was  conscious, 
but  quite  as  truly,  all  the  meaning  that  anybody  finds  there. 

The  poet's  eye,  in  a  fine  frenzy  rolling, 

Doth  glance  from  heaven  to  earth,  from  earth  to 

heaven ; 
And  as  imagination  bodies  forth 
The  forms  of  things  unknown,  the  poet's  pen 
Turns  them  to  shapes,  and  gives  to  airy  nothing 
A  local  habitation  and  a  name. 

So  the  seer,  in  his  "  fine  frenzy,"  bodies  forth  what  were 
otherwise  vague  and  shadowy  ideas  of  the  invisible  world, 
and  gives  a  local  habitation  and  a  name  to  things  spiritual. 
There  is  this  difference  mainly:  the  poet's  inspiration  is 
love  of  the  beautiful;  the  seer's,  love  of  the  holy.  One 
seeks  to  give  men  pleasure ;  the  other,  to  make  men  better. 
And  if  it  is  true  that  men  of  genius,  of  whom  in  their 


10  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

loftier  moments  we  speak  as  "  inspired,"  have  given  to 
the  world  a  message  more  meaningful  than  they  ever 
dreamed,  how  much  more  may  we  expect  to  find  this  true 
of  any  writing  composed  under  special  uplift  and  guidance 
of  the  Spirit  of  God!  If  there  were  not  in  it  a  deeper, 
richer,  broader  significance  than  was  comprehended  by 
the  writer  and  his  generation,  if  continual  study  did  not 
reveal  to  us  new  vistas  of  meaning,  and  disclose  striking 
applications  of  its  content  to  conditions  undreamt  of  by 
its  author — should  we  not  have  good  reason  for  doubting 
its  claim  to  inspiration?  If  even  a  poem  that  claims 
no  more  than  human  origin  cannot  exhaust  its  meaning 
to  a  single  generation,  but  grows  in  interest  and  power 
and  value  with  the  centuries,  can  a  book  that  claims  to 
come  from  God  be  expected  to  do  less  ? 

In  view  of  such  reasonable  presumptions  as  these,  the 
disparaging  remarks  made  regarding  the  Apocalypse  by 
some  of  the  most  orthodox  scholars  are  not  a  little  re- 
markable. Sir  William  Ramsay,  for  example,  says :  "  The 
apocalyptic  form  of  literature  was  far  from  being  a 
high  one;  and  the  Apocalypse  of  John  suffers  from  the 
unfortunate  choice  of  this  form:  only  occasionally  is  the 
author  able  to  free  himself  from  the  chilling  influence 
of  that  fanciful  and  extravagant  mode  of  expression."  ^ 
One  fears  that  the  capacity  to  appreciate  poetry  was 
somehow  left  out  of  the  composition  of  this  accomplished 
scholar.  His  criticism  reminds  us  irresistibly  of  the 
story  of  the  great  mathematician  who  was  persuaded 
to  read  "  Paradise  Lost,"  and  for  his  only  comment  said, 
"After  all,  what  does  it  prove?"  Of  course  it  is  not 
incumbent  upon  any  student  of  the  Apocalypse,  however 
orthodox,  to  maintain  that  its  literary  art  is  perfect. 
The  imperfection  of  the  book,  however,  consists  not  in 
the  fact  that  the  author  adopted  the  apocalyptic  form, 

1  "  The  Letters  to  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,"  New  York,  1905,  p.  72. 


apocalypse:  literary  form  ii 

but  that  he  did  not  consistently  adhere  to  it.  Any  piece 
of  literature,  to  be  fully  successful  as  a  work  of  art,  must 
make  choice  of  one  form  or  method,  and  maintain  it 
throughout.  Here  wc  have  an  apocalypse  that  is  not 
purely  apocalyptic,  but  is  partially  epistolary.  Each 
method  of  composition  has  its  own  laws,  and  the  two  can- 
not be  successfully  mingled  in  a  single  work.  By  mingling 
them,  the  author  made  unity  of  form  impossible.  This 
has  led  some  to  say  that  the  letters  to  the  churches  which 
form  the  introductory  section  were  an  afterthought;  but 
more  careful  study  of  the  book  excludes  this  possibility, 
since,  as  will  be  presently  made  clear,  the  letters  are  an 
integral  part  of  the  composition.  Their  insertion  mars 
unity  of  form,  but  it  secures  unity  of  plan. 

As  for  John's  choice  of  the  apocalyptic  form,  which 
seems  so  reprehensible  to  Doctor  Ramsay,  nothing  more 
need  be  said  to  explain  it  to  the  average  reader  who  is 
not  a  great  scholar  than  that  it  was  a  common  form 
of  Jewish  literature.  John  conforms  to  literary  canons 
already  well  established.  It  is  the  privilege  of  a  modern 
reader  to  believe  that  there  are  better  literary  forms,  but 
to  quarrel  with  John  for  his  choice  is  as  reasonable  as 
it  would  be  to  berate  the  author  of  sonnets  because  he 
did  not  write  an  epic.  It  is  the  privilege  of  any  writer 
to  choose  his  own  form  of  expression,  and  the  world 
should  accept  his  product  and  be  grateful  for  anything 
good  contained  in  it.  The  Jewish  apocalypses  all  pro- 
fessed to  be  pictures  of  forthcoming  events,  received  in 
a  state  of  ecstatic  vision.  This  was  little  more  than 
a  recognized  literary  fiction,  to  be  taken  hardly  more 
seriously  than  the  device  of  modern  romancers  who  pro- 
fess to  have  discovered  an  ancient  manuscript  containing 
their  tale.  But  while  the  modern  romancer  does  not  ex- 
pect to  be  literally  believed,  the  apocalyptic  prophet  did 
expect  to  be  believed  as  to  the  substance  of  his  mes- 


12  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

sage,  and  usually  was  believed.  Nobody  could  write  the 
solemn  warning  of  Revelation  22  :  18,  19,  who  did  not 
take  himself  and  his  message  with  utmost  seriousness. 

In  saying  that  John  wrote  for  his  own  time,  and  to 
reveal  the  things  soon  to  occur,  one  by  no  means  excludes 
the  presence  of  other  and  deeper  meanings.  To  dis- 
cover these,  however,  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  present 
study.  But  one  may  properly  add  just  here  his  convic- 
tion that  the  Church  of  all  ages  has  not  been  astray  in 
setting  a  high  estimate  upon  this  book,  though  it  has  been 
sadly  misused  and  abused.  The  Revelation  has  always 
taught  true  believers  that,  however  mighty  may  appear 
to  be  the  power  of  evil,  Christ  rules  his  world;  and  the 
victory  of  his  Church  is  certain  iV  it  continues  in  the 
faith  delivered  to  the  saints.  No  book  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament has  shown  greater  power  to  sustain  Christian 
faith  and  hope  and  courage,  and  to  inspire  Christ's  fol- 
lowers to  fidelity  and  endurance.  Even  in  the  midst  of 
apparent  defeat.  Christian  faith  still  looks  eagerly  for- 
ward to  the  Great  Consummation;  and  still  says,  in  the 
present  tense,  as  of  a  thing  so  certain  that  it  may  be 
taken  as  already  done. 

The  kingdom  of  the  world  is  become 

The  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  his  Anointed 

And  he  will  reign  to  the  ages  of  the  ages. 


II 

German  critics  have  gone  daft  during  the  present 
generation  over  the  "  partition  theory  "  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. There  is  hardly  one  of  the  canonical  writings 
that  these  critics  are  now  willing  to  accept  as  the  product 
of  a  single  mind  and  hand;  and  the  hypothesis  of  com- 
posite authorship  is  urged  with  special  persistence  and 
ingenuity  in   the  case  of   the   Apocalypse.     The   chief 


apocalypse:  literary  form  13 

problem  now  regarding  this  book  is  not  whether  "  John  " 
wrote  it,  and  if  so,  what  John,  but  whether  anybody  wrote 
it.  The  enterprise  of  resolving  the  various  books  of  the 
Bible  into  a  number  of  independent  documents  has  in  no 
case  been  more  vigorously  prosecuted  than  in  this.  Critics 
like  Volter  and  Briggs  present  what  may  without  injus- 
tice be  called  the  scissors-and-paste  theory  of  the  origin 
of  the  Apocalypse. 

Volter's  idea  of  the  original  book  is  that  it  consisted  of  the 
following  passages:  1:4-6;  chapters  4  to  9  inclusive  (with  slight 
changes  in  4  :  i  and  S  :  9,  and  omitting  a  few  words  in  5  :  6,  10 ; 
6  :  16  and  the  verses  5  :  11-14  and  7  :  9-17) ;  10  :  14  to  13  :  18 
(saving  a  few  words  in  11  :  15,  18)  ;  14  :  1-8  (all  but  a  few 
words  of  14  :  i)  ;  18  :  I  to  19  :  4  (save  two  words  in  18  :  20)  ; 
14  :  14-20;  19  :  1-5.  This  original  composition  was  by  "John," 
about  A.  D.  65.  Another  book  by  an  unknown  author  was  com- 
posed a  few  years  later,  say  A.  D.  70,  and  consisted  of  10  :  17; 
II  :  1-13;  12  :  1-16;  the  whole  of  chapters  15  and  17;  19  :  11 
to  22  :  6.  These  two  independent  compositions  were  combined 
by  an  editor  in  Trajan's  time  (A.  D.  114),  who  added  the  fol- 
lowing passages:  5:6,  9;  6  :  16;  7  :  9-17;  12  :  17;  13  :  18; 
14  :  9-12;  15  :  1-4,  7;  16  :  2;  19  :  5-ioa;  14  :  8;  also  a  little  in 
chapters  18  and  19,  more  in  21  :  9  seq. ;  and  22  :  8,  9.  Finally, 
another  editor,  in  Hadrian's  reign,  contributed  a  preface  and  a 
note  here  and  there,  such  as:  1:1-3;  i  :  9  to  3  :  22;  14  :  13; 
16  :  15 ;  19  :  lob;  22  :  7,  10  seq. 

It  would  perhaps  be  wasting  space  to  comment  on 
the  details  of  this  rediictio  ad  absurdiim  of  the  critical 
method  as  practised  in  Germany.  There  have  been 
many  profound  scholars  in  that  country  whose  literary 
ineptitude  is  a  thing  to  marvel  at,  but  not  to  admire. 
Still,  the  method  has  so  many  admirers  and  imitators 
among  ourselves  that  it  may  be  worth  while  to  point  out 
briefly  two  weighty  objections  that  apply  both  to  the 
method  in  general  and  to  this  application  of  it  in  par- 
ticular. Either  objection  deserves  to  be  called  weighty: 
together,  they  make  the  theory  and  its  results  incredible. 


14  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

The  first  objection  is  furnished  by  the  book  itself. 
To  one  practised  in  the  study  of  literature,  the  Apoc- 
alypse proves  its  own  unity  as  a  composition.  The  im- 
press of  the  same  hand  is  found  on  every  part.  The 
unity  of  purpose,  of  style,  discoverable  throughout  the 
book,  proves  that  a  single  mind  brought  together  these 
visions,  whether  he  composed  all  of  them,  or  merely 
some  of  them,  or  none  of  them.  Somebody  has  made  of 
these  diverse  materials  one  book.  And  whatever  pre- 
existing materials  he  may  have  employed,  and  however 
incongruous  they  may  have  been  in  their  original  form, 
they  have  been  interfused  in  the  alembic  of  a  single 
personality.  These  materials  may  have  been  as  Jewish, 
or  as  pagan,  as  any  one  pleases ;  but  in  passing  into  this 
alembic  of  a  Christian  consciousness,  the  carbon  has 
somehow  been  crystallized  into  the  diamonds  of  Chris- 
tian truth.  A  composite  authorship  is  a  hypothesis  im- 
possible of  reconciliation  with  the  testimony  of  the  book 
itself.  The  ultimate  verdict  of  Christian  scholarship, 
we  may  be  sure,  will  accept  the  testimony  of  the  book — 
will  set  aside  these  vagaries  of  criticism,  and  find  an 
explanation  of  the  perplexing  features  of  the  Apocalypse 
that  is  consistent  with  the  fundamental  literary  fact  of 
a  single  authorship. 

The  second  objection  to  such  methods  and  results 
as  those  of  Volter  is  that  the  "  editor  "  or  "  redactor," 
who  is  so  indispensable  a  personage  in  these  critical 
theories,  is  a  being  "  of  imagination  all  compact."  He  is 
a  figment  of  the  modern  critic's  too  ingenious  mind.  The 
"  editor  "  never  existed  in  ancient  times ;  he  is  the  prod- 
uct of  that  modern  scholarship  which  began  with  the 
Renaissance.  No  ancient  book  was  ever  composed  by 
a  process  such  as  Volter  supposes.  Neither  Oriental 
nor  classical  literature  knows  anything  of  a  "  redactor." 
We  have  authors  and  their  books,  and  we  have  nothing 


apocalypse:  literary  form  15 

else.  Some  ancient  books  are  original  (so  far  as  we 
know),  and  others  make  large  use  of  previous  materials. 
Our  modern  literary  conventions  and  modern  literary 
ethics  were  alike  unknown.  Authors  used  without 
scruple  or  concealment  any  existing  materials  germane 
to  their  purpose;  and  no  author  dreaded  being  called 
a  plagiarist.  But — and  this  is  the  important  point — he 
used  preexisting  documents  for  his  own  purpose.  He 
did  not  piece  together  a  crazy-quilt  of  unrelated  docu- 
ments ;  he  wrote  a  book  with  a  definite  purpose  and  with 
a  clear  plan,  borrowing  for  this  book  (and  sometimes 
using  unskilfully)  whatever  he  fancied  in  the  literature 
known  to  him. 

Besides  these  two  objections — which  together,  as  has 
been  said,  are  fatal  to  the  partition  theory — there  is  a 
third,  which  Jiilicher  has  urged  in  his  "  Introduction  to 
the  New  Testament."  It  is  what  may  be  called  the 
cumulative  improbability  of  the  results  reached  by  apply- 
ing this  method  in  turn  to  nearly  every  New  Testament 
book.  "  If  these  gentlemen  are  right,"  says  Jiilicher, 
"  the  Almighty  must  have  set  from  ninety  to  a  hundred 
and  twenty  hands  in  motion  during  the  first  and  second 
centuries  to  produce  a  mutilation,  unparalleled  elsewhere, 
of  all  the  New  Testament  texts,  with  the  sole  object  of 
creating  a  field  for  the  brilliant  display  of  the  ingenuity 
of  modern  historians,  for  whom  no  other  task  is  now 
worthy  of  notice."  - 

Nevertheless,  the  work  of  these  critics  has  not  alto- 
gether been  wasted.  Their  diligence  has  cleared  up  the 
meaning  of  many  obscure  passages.  They  have  proved 
that  we  can  discover  to  a  considerable  ext^^nt  the  mate- 
rials that  the  author  probably  borrowed  from  earlier 
writings.  They  have  shown  it  to  be  extremely  likely 
that  he  used  a  Jewish  Apocalypse  or  Apocalypses   and 

■"Introduction  to  the  New  Testament,"  New  Yotk,  1904,  p.  30. 


l6  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

adapted  this  previous  writing  in  whole  or  in  part  to  his 
own  scheme.  Light  is  thrown  upon  the  author's  literary 
methods  by  the  fact  that  of  the  four  hundred  and  four 
verses  into  which  the  book  has  been  divided,  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-eight  contain  references  to  the  Old 
Testament.  Yet  there  are  few  exact  quotations.  This 
makes  it  probable  that  the  writer  used  his  other  sources, 
whatever  they  were,  in  a  similar  independent  manner. 
Some  have  also  suggested  the  hypothesis  that  the  visions 
of  which  the  book  consists  may  have  been  composed  at 
different  times  in  the  author's  life,  and  not  put  together 
all  at  once  in  their  present  form.  This  would  help  to 
solve  some  of  the  chronological  and  other  difficulties. 
And  there  is  so  much  truth  as  this  in  Volter's  theory: 
that  there  may  very  probably  be  interpolations  here  and 
there  by  a  later  hand  or  hands.  Moreover,  the  "  I, 
John "  of  22  :  8  might  be  interpreted  to  mean  that 
the  book  as  a  whole  had  been  dictated  to  an  amanuensis 
(as  it  is  tolerably  certain  was  the  case  with  the  letters 
of  Paul),  and  that  John  now  adds  a  brief  epilogue  with 
his  own  hand.  This  hypothesis  would  help  to  explain 
some  of  the  crudities  of  style.  At  any  rate,  the  author 
is  no  master  of  architectonics.  But  it  will  be  wise  to 
test  these  and  other  like  hypotheses  rigorously,  and  to 
resort  to  them  only  where  they  are  required  to  explain 
something  otherwise  inexplicable.  Most  of  the  errors 
of  criticism  result  from  treatment  of  a  possibly  useful 
hypothesis  as  if  it  were  unquestioned  and  unquestionable 
fact.  i 

That  the  book  is  the  product  of  a  single  mind  is,  we 
repeat,  the  conclusion  to  which  literary  study  unmistak- 
ably points.  This  is  because  in  every  part  of  the  book 
the  influence  of  a  single,  definite,  striking  personality 
is  felt.  "  Do  his  works  reveal  to  us  a  real  man?  If  so, 
they  must  be  the  genuine  composition  of  a  true  person; 


apocalypse:  literary  form  17 

110  pseudonymous  work  has  ever  succeeded,  or  could  suc- 
ceed, in  exhibiting  the  supposititious  writer  as  a  real 
personaHty."  ^  These  words  of  Ramsay  regarding  Luke 
are  equally  applicable  to  John.  The  style  of  the  Apoc- 
alypse is  unique,  and  the  style  is  the  man.  None  of  the 
New  Testament  books  has  so  peculiar  features ;  and  these 
are  found  not  in  any  single  chapter,  but  throughout  the 
book.  The  key  to  most  of  these  peculiarities  is  this: 
we  have  here  an  author  who  writes  in  Greek,  but  thinks 
in  Hebrew.  His  mother  speech  is  Aramaic ;  and  he  has 
acquired  his  Greek,  not  in  a  literary  way,  through  teach- 
ers and  books,  but  by  colloquial  use.  He  has  conse- 
quently acquired  it  well  enough  to  make  it  serve  him 
as  a  medium  of  expression,  but  not  well  enough  to  write 
it  correctly.  Therefore  his  idioms  are  often  the  idioms 
of  the  Old  Testament ;  and  he  ignores  Greek  grammar 
to  a  degree  that  is  extraordinary  and  surprising.  No 
other  extant  specimen  of  Greek  literature  contains  so 
many  solecisms.  Examples  are  all  but  innumerable,  and 
are  found  in  every  part  of  the  book,  which  is  to  most 
minds  one  of  the  strongest  reasons  for  believing  in  a 
single  authorship. 

The  author  follows  the  Hebrew  idiom  by  putting  in  the 
nominative  case  the  word  in  apposition  to  any  oblique  case: 
TTjV  yuvaJxa  Ut^djizX  ^  liyouaa  ("the  woman  Jezebel  who  calls 
herself"),  2  :  20;  cf .  I  :  5 ;  2  :  7,  13;  3  :  8,  13;  4  :  i;  11  :  18; 
12  :  6;  14  :  12,  19;  20  :  2.  He  is  particularly  fond  of  doing 
this  with  a  participle:  cpov-qv  .  ,  .  kiyovre^  ("a  voice  .  .  .  say- 
ing"), 5  :  12;  cf.  14  :  6,  7,  12,  13,  14.  Other  clear  cases  of 
Aramaic  influence  are:  (i)  Changing  from  a  participial  construc- 
tion to  indicative,  which  is  quite  proper  in  Hebrew  but,  to  say 
the  least,  irregular  in  Greek :  rw  ayaTzwvrc  ijiia^  .  .  .  xai  i-Koifjaev 
("to  him  that  loves  us  .  .  .  and  has  made"),  i  :  5,  6;  2  :  2,  9; 
7  :  14.  (2)  The  singular  number  used  for  the  plural,  a  clear 
Hebraism:  Svofxa  ("name")  for  dvofiara,  17  :  8.  (3)  ol6g 
("son"),  12  :  5,  used  as  "child,"  needing  aptrev    ("male")   to 

^  Sir  William  Ramsay,  "Luke  the  Physician,"  New  York,  1908,  p.  31. 
B 


l8  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

be  added  to  make  the  sex  certain.  (4)  The  use  of  nude<i  in  the 
sense  of  "  legs "  rather  than  "  feet,"  is  not  infrequent  in  the 
Old  Testament.  (See  Deut.  28  :  57;  i  Sam.  17  :  6;  Isa.  7  :  20.) 

(5)  The  constant  use  of  «*?  in  the  sense  of  "  as  it  were,"  "  in 
the  likeness  of,"  equivalent  to  the  Hebrew  •? — not  a  Greek  usage. 

(6)  The  superfluous  pronoun,  of  so  frequent  occurrence :  rai 
vcxwyrt,  dtutru)  aurui  (paytlv  ("to  him  that  conquers,  I  will  give 
him  to  eat"),  2  :  17;  cf.  3  :  8;  6  :  4;  7  :  9. 

Other  characteristic  irregularities  not  so  distinctly  Hebraistic 
in  flavor  are:  (i)  The  coordination  of  a  participle  and  a 
finite  verb  by  the  definite  article :  q  Xiyouaa  .  .  .  xat  diodaxzi 
("who  calls  herself  .  .  .  and  teaches"),  2  :  20;  cf.  i  :  4,  8,  etc. 
(2)  Confusion  of  moods  and  tenses,  as  in  3  :  9  and  16  :  4;  of 
genders,  as  in  4  :  i,  8;  16  :  9;  21  :  14;  and  cases,  as  17  :  4,  and 
the  jumble  of  18  :  13;  and  prepositions,  as  a-6  ("from")  for 
ini  ("upon,  over,  unto")  in  9:  18.  (3)  Treatment  of  tov 
("being")  as  an  indeclinable  noun,  as  in  i  :  4,  8;  4  :  8;  11  :  17; 
16  :  5.  (4)  Disregard  of  the  ordinary  rules  of  syntax,  as 
where  diddaxetv  ("teach")  and  ahe'iv  ("praise")  are  followed 
by  a  dative,  2  :  14  and  19  :  5.  The  total  disregard  of  gender, 
number,  and  case  is  often  startling:  as,  Ouiiiaixarmv  at  eiffcv 
("incense  which  are"),  5:8;  rtD  Orjpt'u)  09  e/££  ("the  beast 
which  has"),  13:  14;  Tzacddptov  .  .  .  oi  e^e:  ("a  lad  .  .  .  who  has") 
is  a  rare  case  in  the  Gospel.  (John  6:9.)  (5)  Unaccountably 
varied  constructions.  One  of  the  commonest  phrases  of  the 
book  is,  "  sitting  upon  the  throne."  But  irci  is  followed  by  the 
dative  three  times,  and  by  a  genitive  fifteen  times,  with  no 
assignable  reason  in  any  case  for  the  choice  of  one  form  rather 
than  the  other.  Indeed,  the  author  loves  to  play  with  ^-{^  as 
this  variation  in  the  same  sentence  will  show :  i-Tzl  rrjg  daXd<Tari<}, 
fiTJTs  iiri  Tc  divdpov  ("upon  the  sea,  nor  on  any  tree"),  7  :  i. 
Another  curious  variation  of  style  is  that  while  the  author  knows 
the  instrumental  dative  and  sometimes  uses  it  (5:2;  14  :  18), 
he  is  overfond  of  the  h  with  the  dative  to  express  instrument 
(6  :  8;  9  :  10;  12  :  5;  14  :  2;  16  :  8;  17  :  16;  18  :  2;  19  :  2,  IS, 
20,  21).  After  6ixoio<s  ("like")  he  sometimes  uses  the  accusative 
(i  :  13;  14  :  14)  ;  but  the  dative,  twenty  times.  And  occasion- 
ally he  invents  a  sjmtax  of  his  own,  as  where  he  follows  ooai 
("woe")  by  the  accusative,  8: 13;  12:  12.  And  when  everything 
else  fails  him,  he  can  still  resort  to  an  anacoluthon,  of  which  this 
is  a  fine  instance:  xai  6  vixZv  .  .  .  dmaio  aurip  ("and  he  that 
conquers,  I  will  give  him"),  2  :  26;  cf.  11  :  i. 


apocalypse:  literary  form  19 

Godet  argues  that  the  solecisms  of  the  Apocalypse  can- 
not be  due  to  ignorance  of  Greek  grammar,  because  other 
passages  show  that  the  writer  knew  the  proper  syntax. 
The  alleged  solecisms  must  therefore  be  intentional,  and 
must  have  a  significance.  For  example,  the  misuse  of 
the  participle  in  i  :  4  is  to  bring  into  greater  prominence 
the  idea  of  God's  immutability.  The  explanation  is  too 
fanciful  to  win  acceptance.  And  besides,  by  that  sort 
of  reasoning  one  could  prove  that  no  writer  was  ever 
guilty  of  a  solecism.  The  trouble  with  the  solecistic 
writer  is  not  so  much  that  he  is  ignorant  of  grammatical 
rules,  as  that  he  will  not  observe  them. 

Aside  from  the  evidence  of  unity  afforded  by  these 
characteristics  of  style,  the  student  will  find  equally 
convincing  the  unity  of  plan  that  is  maintained  through- 
out— a  plan  that  is  both  original  and  consistent.  It  was 
determined  by  the  author's  view  of  the  symbolism  of 
numbers,  and  especially  of  the  number  seven.  It  is 
literally  true  to  say  of  the  author  of  the  Apocalypse  that 
he  thinks  in  sevens;  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
word  is  used  forty-two  times  in  this  comparatively  brief 
composition,  against  thirty-three  in  all  the  rest  of  the 
New  Testament.  This  peculiar  feature  begins  in  the  first 
chapter,  and  extends  almost  to  the  very  end.  We  read 
of  seven  lamps,  seven  angels,  seven  stars,  seven  churches, 
at  the  very  beginning.  The  lamb  has  seven  horns  and 
seven  eyes ;  the  mysterious  book  has  seven  seals,  the 
opening  of  which  is  accompanied  by  seven  marvels. 
Seven  trumpets  are  blown ;  seven  bowls  are  emptied ; 
seven  thunders  utter  their  voices ;  seven  thousand  are 
killed  in  an  earthquake ;  the  Dragon  has  seven  heads,  and 
so  has  the  wild  Beast  who  comes  up  out  of  the  sea,  and 
the  scarlet  Beast  of  the  Woman.  Of  course,  the  author 
had  abundant  precedent  for  this  sort  of  thing  in  the  Old 
Testament,  which  is  full  of  sevens:  seven  priests  with 


20  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

seven  trumpets  went  around  Jericho  seven  days,  and 
seven  times  on  the  seventh  day.  In  the  Jewish  calendar 
the  seventh  day  was  sacred,  and  special  services  were 
held  in  the  seventh  month.  Every  seventh  year  was 
sabljtic,  and  every  seven-times-seventh  year  a  jubilee. 
We  need  not  be  surprised,  then,  to  find  as  we  do  when 
we  carry  our  study  a  little  further,  that  this  number 
is  not  only  found  in  the  incidental  features  of  the 
visions,  but  that  it  is  the  key  to  the  entire  literary  struc- 
ture of  the  Apocalypse.  The  book  consists  of  seven 
visions;  and  in  all  but  the  last  of  these,  seven  subdivisions 
are  also  clearly  indicated.  A  little  ingenuity  might,  for 
the  sake  of  perfect  regularity,  divide  the  last  vision  also 
into  seven  paragraphs ;  but  in  the  absence  of  plain  indica- 
tions of  the  author's  intention,  it  is  more  fair  to  conclude 
that  he  abandoned  mathematical  regularity  at  this  point 
as  not  appropriate  to  his  theme, 

III 

Our  interpretation  of  the  book  will  necessarily  be  more 
or  less  affected  by  our  idea  of  the  time  at  which  it  was 
composed.  This  is  one  of  the  matters  about  which  critics 
have  differed  almost  angrily  from  very  early  times.  The 
difficulty  of  arriving  at  approximate  agreement  upon  a 
date  does  not  arise  from  the  facts,  or  from  legitimate 
inferences  from  the  facts,  so  much  as  from  inferences 
that  the  facts  do  not  warrant,  and  from  suppressed 
premises  in  the  reasoning  that,  if  clearly  stated,  would 
seem  to  be  indefensible.  A  good  example  of  these  sup- 
pressed premises  is  this :  The  Apocalypse  was  all  written 
at  one  time;  therefore,  when  you  have  proved  a  part  of 
the  book  to  have  been  written  at  a  certain  date,  you  have 
found  a  date  for  the  whole.  Merely  to  state  this  premise 
is  to  refute  it;  yet  it  causes  most  of  the  disputes  about 
the  time  when  the  Apocalypse  was  written. 


ArocALvrsi: ;  literary  form  21 

Certain  facts  are  so  plain  to  any  careful  reader  as  to  be 
almost  indisputable.  The  writer  in  all  probability  knew 
of  the  great  fire  in  Rome  in  A.  D,  64,  and  draws  from 
it  some  of  his  most  striking  imagery.  (18  :  8-10.)  Yet 
it  is  evident  from  11  :  i,  2,  8  that  he  knew  nothing  of 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the  destruction  of  the  temple. 
These  facts  point  irresistibly  to  the  year  68  as  the  ap- 
proximate date  of  the  composition  of  this  part  of  the 
book.  And  the  entire  visions  of  the  Seals  and  the 
Trumpets  demand  for  their  understanding  the  back- 
ground of  events  furnished  by  the  years  shortly  after 
Nero.  Wars  and  rumors  of  wars  were  on  every  hand. 
It  was  the  time  of  the  revolt  of  Vindex  and  Civilis  in 
Gaul,  the  rise  and  fall  of  Galba  and  Otho,  Vitellius 
gathering  forces  for  contest  in  the  East  with  Vespasian, 
the  Parthians  beyond  the  Euphrates  threatening  irrup- 
tion, the  legions  of  Titus  closing  around  Jerusalem.  The 
writer  might  well  see  in  these  omens  the  presage  of 
Rome's  destruction,  if  not  the  destruction  of  all  things. 
There  was  no  such  clash  of  forces  in  the  last  decade 
of  the  century;  no  such  general  sense  of  impending 
doom  existed  to  which  a  writer  might  make  successful 
appeal.  Domitian's  reign  furnishes  a  ludicrously  inade- 
quate background  for  this  part  of  the  Apocalypse. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  reader  will  find  equally  clear 
evidence  that  portions  of  the  book  could  not  reasonably 
be  assigned  to  the  time  of  Nero  and  the  years  immediately 
following — they  fit  that  situation  as  little  as  the  visions 
of  Seals  and  Trumpets  fit  Domitian's  reign.  Chapters 
13  and  17  are  specimens  of  these  portions  of  the  Apoc- 
alypse. The  Beast  and  his  worship  is  evidently  intended 
to  mean  the  new  imperial  cult  that  was  set  up  in  Asia 
Minor  in  Domitian's  time,  but  did  not  exist  there  in 
Nero's.  In  17  :  to,  Vespasian,  the  sixth  emperor,  is 
represented  as  reigning.    And  in  addition  to  this  weighty 


2.2  THE   JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

internal  evidence,  we  have  external  testimony  to  the 
completion  and  publication  of  the  book  at  about  A.  D, 
97  which  cannot  be  disregarded.  Irenasus  tells  us  that 
John's  vision  "  was  seen  no  very  long  time  since,  but 
almost  in  our  day,  toward  the  end  of  Domitian's  reign." 
Eusebius  gives  full  credit  to  this  statement  in  his  history.* 
Acceptance  of  it  as  fact,  of  course,  does  not  exclude  the 
hypothesis  that  this  was  merely  the  time  when  the  book 
was  finally  made  ready  for  publication,  while  parts  of 
it  may  have  been  written  earlier  by  John,  or  he  may  at 
this  time  have  included  in  a  writing  of  his  portions  of 
an  earlier  document  or  documents  by  another  hand.  Be- 
tween the  several  possible  theories  that  will  account  for 
all  the  facts  and  deny  none,  we  have  no  convincing 
reasons  for  choice;  nor  is  a  choice  at  all  important  for 
the  study  and  interpretation  of  the  book. 

EXCURSUS  TO  CHAPTER  I 

The  vocabulary  of  the  Apocalypse  consists  of  nine 
hundred  and  thirteen  words,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
eight  are  not  used  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
ninety-eight  others  are  used  elsewhere  but  once.  The 
distribution  of  words  that  are  more  or  less  distinctive 
is  interesting  and  important,  for  its  bearing  on  the  ques- 
tion of  the  integral  quality  of  the  writing.  ^ Ayyzloz 
is  used  sixty-seven  times  in  seventeen  chapters ;  ddixs7u 
is  found  in  chapters  2,  6,  7,  9  (thrice),  11  (twice),  22; 
«£oiv,  twenty-four  times  in  eleven  chapters ;  dpviou, 
twenty-seven  times  in  eleven  chapters ;  ^aadeuc:,  twenty- 
one  times  in  ten  chapters,  while  ^aacXe'ia  and  ^aacXtuio 
are  together  used  about  the  same  number  of  times  and 
with  equal  distribution.  Bpovnj  occurs  ten  times  in  eight 
chapters;    ivcoizcoi^ ,  thirty-five  times  in  fifteen  chapters; 

*  Irenaeus,  Adv.  Haer.,  V,  xxx,  3;  Eusebius,  H.  E.,  Ill,  xviii.  3. 


ArocALvrsE:  literary  form  23 

ddXaaaa,  twenty-six  times  in  fifteen  chapters ;  dr^fnoi^y 
thirty-eight  times  in  nine  chapters ;  dpo'^o^,  forty-eight 
times  in  seventeen  chapters;  cTtno^  is  found  in  chapters 
6  (four  times),  9  (five  times),  14,  18,  19  (five  times); 
[lapropia  and  its  cognates  are  found  eighteen  times  in 
eleven  chapters  ;  p-^yoJZ,  eighty  times  in  eighteen  chapters ; 
vzipkhj  occurs  in  chapters  i,  10,  11,  14  (thrice);  x^cxaoi 
is  used  most  frequently  in  chapters  2  and  3,  but  is  also 
found  in  5,  6,  12,  13,  15,  17,  21 ;  ohpavbz  occurs  fifty- 
three  times  in  seventeen  chapters ;  Ttavroxpdrcop  (used  but 
once  elsewhere,  2  Cor.  6  :  18)  is  found  in  chapters  i,  4, 
II,  15,  16,  19,  21;  Tzepi^dUo)  is  found  in  chapters  3,  4, 
7,  10,  II,  12,  17,  18,  19;  TTop  is  used  twenty-four  times  in 
seventeen  chapters ;  TzpocprjTVJco  and  its  cognates  are  found 
in  chapters  i,  10,  11,  16,  19,  23;  (fcovij  is  used  fifty-five 
times  in  sixteen  chapters.  This  list  might  be  increased 
to  considerably  greater  proportions,  especially  by  an 
examination  of  the  distinctive  phrases  of  the  book.  The 
result  of  this  inductive  study  of  the  distribution  of 
words  in  the  'Apocalypse  is  to  shatter  completely  the 
theory  of  composite  authorship.  It  has  not  a  leg  left 
to  stand  on. 


CHAPTER  II 

CONTENT  AND  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE 
APOCALYPSE 


I.  The  Vision  of  the  Son  of  Man 

A  DRAMATIC  poem  must  be  differently  interpreted 
from  a  historical  writing  like  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, or  a  letter  like  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  Historical 
prose  gives  us  plain  fact  that  may  be  tested  by  our  senses ; 
epistolary  prose  has  greater  freedom  and  variety  of  ex- 
pression, but  still  for  the  most  part  gives  us  the  lan- 
guage of  plain  fact;  poetry,  on  the  contrary,  gives  us 
not  fact,  but  truth — truth  as  seen  not  by  the  eye,  but 
by  the  imagination.  To  read  poetry  literally,  as  we  read 
history,  is  to  read  all  the  meaning  out  of  it.  This  must 
be  our  cardinal  principle  for  the  interpretation  of  the 
Apocalypse. 

In  this  vision  John  beholds  "  One  like  a  son  of  man." 
He  was  clothed  in  a  garment  that  indicates  priestly  func- 
tions ;  but  the  other  attributes  assigned  to  him  are  rather 
those  of  royalty.  Many  of  the  details  of  this  imagery 
are  suggested  by  passages  in  the  Old  Testament,  espe- 
cially Daniel's  vision  of  the  Ancient  of  Days.  (Dan.  7  * 
9-14.)  The  white  hair,  shining  like  wool  or  snow,  sig- 
nifying that  in  him  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  knowledge 
and  of  wisdom ;  eyes  whose  burning  glances  penetrate 
through  the  secret  of  men's  inmost  hearts;  his  legs 
glowing  as  in  the  white  heat  of  a  furnace,  ready  to  con- 
sume the  enemies  on  whom  he  treads;  the  two-edged 
sword  going  out  of  his  mouth,  the  symbol  of  executive 
24 


apocalypse:  content  and  significance         25 

authority,  of  sovereign  power,  of  the  judicial  function  of 
the  word  of  God  (cf.  Heb.  4  :  12)  ;  the  face,  shining  hke 
the  tropical  sun,  from  whose  deadly  rays  man  and  beast 
alike  flee  for  shelter;  the  voice,  powerful  as  the  surf 
booming  on  the  shores  of  Patmos — these  are  all  marks  of 
royal  majesty  and  power.  It  is  Jesus  whom  John  sees, 
but  Jesus  the  High  Priest  of  his  people  and  King  of  all 
the  earth. 

The  letters  to  the  churches  that  follow  are  not  an 
afterthought,  inserted  at  the  beginning  of  the  Apocalypse 
because  there  was  no  other  place  for  them,  but  an  integral 
part  of  the  book.  The  often  repeated  phrase,  "  Let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the  churches,"  refers,  of 
course,  not  merely  to  the  letters,  but  to  the  series  of 
visions  that  follow.  The  seven  churches  are  a  further 
example  of  the  author's  symbolism.  They  were  not  an 
exhaustive  enumeration  of  the  churches  in  Asia  (even 
in  the  narrow  sense  in  which  the  Romans  used  that  name) , 
but  are  representatives  of  all  the  churches — the  great 
assembly  of  believers.  More  than  this,  they  are  symbolic 
presentations  of  the  ideal  church,  in  its  divine  origin  and 
human  frailty,  in  its  gifts  and  graces  as  well  as  its 
errors  and  defects,  in  its  fidelity  under  persecution  and  its 
lukewarmness  in  comparative  prosperity — and  above  all, 
in  its  assured  final  victory.  The  details  of  this  first  vision 
present  little  difficulty.  It  is  full  of  symbolism,  but  the 
meaning  of  the  symbols  is  quite  obvious.  The  "  seven 
Spirits  of  God,"  for  example,  is  merely  the  expression  of 
that  perfection  which  results  from  unity  amid  diversity — 
John's  way  of  conceiving  the  one  Spirit  working  in  mani- 
fold ways.  Names  as  well  as  numbers  are  likely  to  be 
symbolic  in  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  Jezebel  of  the  fourth 
letter  is  evidently  such  a  case.  The  church  in  Thyatira 
doubtless  contained  members  who  had  the  characteris- 
tics of  that  infamous  queen — licentiousness  and  idolatry. 


26  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

They  were  relapsing  into  their  former  heathen  practices, 
and  the  church  is  rebuked  because  it  lacked  moral  energy 
to  oppose  and  overcome  them,  but  tolerated  the  evil. 

Who  and  what  are  the  Angels  of  the  churches?  A 
great  deal  of  learning  and  subtlety  have  been  wasted  on 
the  discussion  of  this  matter.  A  comparatively  recent 
suggestion  is  that  there  was  an  officer  of  the  synagogue 
who  bore  a  title  of  which  dyye?.o(;  was  the  Greek  equiva- 
lent, one  of  whose  functions  was  something  like  that  of 
the  modern  church  clerk.  But  evidence  is  lacking  to 
show  that  such  an  office  as  this  existed  at  the  time  when 
John  wrote ;  it  is  not  alluded  to  in  the  Mishna.  The  mat- 
ter seems  really  quite  simple ;  it  is  only  the  ingenuity  of 
commentators  that  has  made  it  appear  so  complex.  If 
John's  symbolism  of  angels  throughout  the  book  is  care- 
fully examined,  his  meaning  here  becomes  unmistakable. 
The  seven  Angels  are  the  personifications  or  representa- 
tives in  heaven  of  the  seven  churches.  They  are  also,  as 
their  name  signifies,  the  messengers  through  whom  the 
letters  are  supposed  to  be  conveyed  to  the  churches  on 
earth. 

2.  The  Vision  of  the  Seven  Seals 

This  vision  would  probably  never  have  been  written, 
at  least  in  anything  like  its  present  form,  if  the  author 
had  not  been  familiar  with  the  visions  of  the  Hebrew 
prophets — especially  the  two  described  in  the  first  chap- 
ter of  Ezekiel  and  the  sixth  chapter  of  Isaiah.  For  the 
understanding  of  such  writings,  there  is  needed  first 
of  all  some  comprehension  of  Oriental  habits  of  mind 
and  speech  in  dealing  with  religious  ideas.  These  habits 
are  very  different  from  the  ways  of  Western  peoples, 
and  some  efifort  on  our  part  is  necessary  to  adjust  our- 
selves to  them.  If  we  attempt  to  interpret  an  Oriental 
writing  as   we  would   interpret  a   European  book,  the 


apocalypse:  content  and  significance         27 

result  will  be  either  puzzlement  or  misunderstanding. 
We  of  the  West  are  wont  to  clothe  our  general  religious 
ideas  in  abstract  terms;  while  the  man  of  the  East  ex- 
presses his  in  concrete  forms.  We  speak  of  God's 
omnipresence;  the  Oriental  beholds  an  animal  with 
"seven"  wings.  We  say  that  God  is  omniscient;  the 
Oriental  pictures  a  creature  full  of  eyes.  Where  we 
think  of  God's  power  in  the  abstract,  and  call  it  omnipo- 
tence, the  Oriental  figures  the  activity  of  a  lion,  or  the 
irresistible  force  of  a  bull. 

And  when  we  do  attempt  to  clothe  our  ideas  in  con- 
crete forms,  we  have  literary  canons  that  the  Oriental 
does  not  acknowledge.  We  insist  on  the  congruity  of 
our  images;  they  must  be  capable  of  being  pictured 
on  canvas,  or  at  least  in  the  imagination.  But  the 
Oriental  mind  lacks  what  artists  call  "  visual  imagina- 
tion " ;  it  does  not  require  congruity ;  it  accumulates  image 
upon  image,  figure  upon  figure,  each  having  its  distinct 
meaning;  and  is  quite  careless  whether  the  ensemble 
is  depictable.  To  our  Western  taste,  the  result  of  such 
imagery  approaches  the  bizarre,  the  grotesque — almost 
the  ridiculous. 

With  this  key,  the  Vision  of  the  Seven  Seals  is  easily 
unlocked.  John  sees  God  upon  his  throne,  and  exhausts 
Oriental  imagery  in  the  attempt  to  describe  his  glory 
and  majesty  and  power.  All  pictorial  representations  of 
Jehovah  were  prohibited  to  the  Jew,  who  would  not 
even  pronounce  the  Holy  Name;  so  all  that  John  can 
do  is  to  compare  the  divine  glory  to  the  most  precious 
stones :  God's  presence  has  the  ruby's  fire  and  passion, 
the  diamond's  brilliance  and  depth  (for  "jasper"  and 
"sardius"  are  thought  by  many  to  mean  these  gems). 
The  bow,  symbol  of  God's  covenant,  and  therefore  of  his 
righteousness,  encircles  his  throne ;  and  the  thunders  and 
lightnings  that  proceed  from  it  are  symbols  of  his  majesty 


28  THE   JOHANxNINE    WRITINGS 

and  power.  The  Living  Creatures,  witli  their  numerous 
wings  and  innumerable  eyes,  represent  God  in  his  at- 
tributes of  omnipresence  and  omniscience.  The  number 
four,  which  we  here  meet  for  the  first  time,  like  all  the 
other  numbers  in  the  Apocalypse,  is  symbolical  and  is  in- 
tended to  represent  perfection  or  completeness.  We  meet 
it  again  in  the  four  angels  at  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
and  the  four  winds  of  heaven  (7  :  i)  ;  in  the  four  horns 
of  the  golden  altar  (9  :  13)  ;  and  the  four  angels  at  the 
Euphrates.  (9  :  14.)  The  twenty-four  Elders  frequently 
play  the  part  of  a  chorus  in  this  vision,  and  in  those  to 
follow ;  and  by  their  worship  typify  the  homage  that  all 
the  creation  of  God  will  pay  to  him.  The  number  twenty- 
four  has  been  variously  explained;  but  perhaps  the  best 
suggestion  is  that  it  was  intended  to  correspond  to  the 
twelve  Patriarchs  of  the  old  dispensation,  and  the  twelve 
Apostles  of  the  new. 

In  God's  hand  John  saw  not  a  "  book,"  as  the  old 
version  has  it,  but  a  manuscript  roll,  sealed  with  seven 
seals.  This  roll  contained  the  revelation  of  those  things 
tliat  were  soon  to  happen ;  and  when  no  one  was  found 
worthy  to  unseal  it,  John  grieved  that  the  secrets  of  the 
immediate  future  must  remain  unknown.  But  Jesus, 
described  as  the  "  Lion  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah,"  yet  sym- 
bolized by  the  Lamb,  with  throat  cut  ready  for  the  sacri- 
fice, took  the  roll  and  proceeded  to  open  the  seals.  The 
seven  horns  and  seven  eyes  of  the  Lamb  were  evi- 
dently intended  to  express  his  fulness  of  power  and  ful- 
ness of  vision. 

The  opening  of  each  of  the  first  four  seals  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  coming  forth  of  a  horse  and  rider.  John 
saw  Conquest,  War,  Famine,  and  Death,  riding  forth 
successively  to  bring  great  suffering  and  woe  upon  the 
earth.  The  first  figure,  the  bowman  on  a  white  horse, 
has   often  been  identified  with  the  conquering  Roman 


APOCALYPSE:    CONTENT    AND   SIGNIFICANCE  29 

Empire;  but  it  seems  more  probable  tliat  tbe  threatening 
Parthian  kingdom  was  in  the  writer's  mind.  The  bow 
was  not  a  Roman  weapon,  but  Parthian;  and  white  was 
the  sacred  color  among  the  Persians.  The  Parthians 
were  a  terror  to  the  eastern  provinces  of  the  empire 
for  several  generations.  i\s  a  result  of  these  ravages, 
wheat  was  to  be  sold  at  seven  times  its  ordinary  price, 
and  barley  at  four  times.  But  the  vine  and  olive  were 
to  be  left  uninjured — that  is  to  say,  the  ordinary  crops 
were  to  be  destroyed,  but  the  vines  and  trees  that  re- 
quired many  years  to  grow  and  come  to  bearing  were  not 
to  be  disturbed.  The  destruction  was  to  be  great,  but 
not  absolutely  ruthless.  These  four  sinister  figures  fore- 
tell the  woes  and  suffering  that  are  to  precede  and  accom- 
pany the  great  day  of  God's  wrath  that  is  approaching. 

The  opening  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  seals  announces 
for  the  first  time  one  of  the  two  great  themes  of  the 
Apocalypse — the  triumph  and  eternal  blessedness  of  the 
saints.  This  theme  will  many  times  reappear  in  the  fol- 
lowing visions.  In  the  sealing  of  the  servants  of  God 
after  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal,  we  meet  for  the  first 
time  with  the  s}mbolism  of  the  number  twelve,  which 
plays  a  considerable  part  in  the  rest  of  the  visions.  The 
new  Israel  is  conceived,  like  the  old,  to  consist  of  twelve 
tribes ;  and  the  perfect  number  twelve,  squared,  gives  the 
number  of  thousands  who  were  sealed.  The  Woman  of 
12  :  I  is  crowned  with  twelve  stars;  the  New  Jerusalem 
has  twelve  gates  (21  :  12,  etc.)  and  twelve  foundations, 
inscribed  with  the  names  of  the  twelve  Apostles.  The 
Tree  of  Life  bears  twelve  fruits.  (22  :  2.) 

Speaking  in  the  language  of  drama,  each  of  these 
visions  may  be  called  an  act ;  and  the  seven  subdivisions 
seven  scenes.  In  most  of  the  acts,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  seventh  scene  is  preparatory  for  the  next  act — 
the  curtain  does  not  fall,  so  to  speak,  but  the  closing  scene 


30  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

of  one  act  blends   with  the  opening  scene  of   tlie  act 
following,  like  a  dissolving  view. 

3.  The  Vision  of  the  Seven  Trumpets 

This  vision  was  doubtless  suggested  by  the  second 
chapter  of  Joel's  prophecy : 

Blow  a  trumpet  in  Zion, 

And  sound  an  alarm  in  my  holy  mountain; 

Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  tremble: 

For  the  day  of  Jehovah  comes,  for  it  is  near; 

A  day  of  darkness  and  gloominess, 

A  day  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness. 

In  this  vision,  as  in  the  preceding  Vision  of  the  Seals, 
the  seven  scenes  are  divided  into  a  group  of  four,  fol- 
lowed by  a  group  of  three.  Each  of  the  first  four  trum- 
pets is  followed  by  a  plague,  or  woe,  the  features  of 
which  are  obviously  suggested  in  part  by  the  plagues  of 
Egypt,  while  others  were  no  doubt  inspired  by  events 
of  the  first  century.  The  first  four  trumpets  describe 
visitations  of  God's  wrath  in  nature.  Men  are  necessarily 
involved  in  these  convulsions,  but  this  is  incidental — 
direct  judgments  of  men  are  reserved  for  the  last  three 
trumpets.  The  mechanical  regularity  of  the  first  group 
as  compared  with  the  second  has  led  some  to  argue  that 
the  two  groups  cannot  be  by  the  same  author.  This  is  by 
no  means  the  only  inference  suggested,  and  we  have 
already  seen  that  there  are  strong  reasons  for  accepting 
the  theory  of  a  single  authorship.  The  more  reason- 
able inference,  then,  from  these  facts,  would  be  that  the 
author  may  have  derived  materials  for  the  two  groups 
from  different  documentary  sources. 

We  should  miss  entirely  the  significance  of  these  scenes 
from  the  author's  point  of  view  by  attempting  to  fit  them 
to  definite  historical  events  and  demonstrate  the  precise 
"  fulfilment  of   the  prophecy."     Let   us   again   remind 


APOCALYPSE:    CONTENT    AND   SIGNIFICANCE  ^l 

ourselves  that  we  are  not  dealing  with  prophecy  in  that 
sense.  We  still  have  to  do  with  the  language  of  symbol- 
ism; we  are  still  reading  poetry — not  prose.  The  writer 
is  merely  accumulating  images,  as  a  poet,  to  express  as 
vividly  as  he  may  his  sense  of  the  judgments  that  are 
to  precede  and  accompany  the  dissolving  of  the  mighty 
empire  that  had  been  so  great  an  oppressor  of  God's 
people. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  John  did 
not  wholly  invent  his  imagery.  Some  events  that  had 
lately  occurred  have  been  thought  to  furnish  him  with 
hints  for  the  forms  in  which  he  has  represented  these 
woes.  The  year  66,  for  example,  was  a  period  of  pass- 
ing through  that  belt  of  aerolites  which  intersects  the 
earth's  orbit  every  thirty  years ;  and  phenomena  of 
meteors  and  shooting  stars  had  been  frequent,  and  to  the 
superstitious  most  alarming.  There  had  been  a  recent 
eruption  in  the  volcanic  island  of  Santorin,  about  eighty 
miles  distant  from  Patmos,  which  had  made  almost  as 
great  a  sensation  in  the  East  as  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius 
in  the  West.  There  had  been  violent  shocks  of  earth- 
quake in  Asia  Minor  from  the  year  59  onward.  There 
was  a  great  pestilence  in  Rome  in  the  year  65,  and  a 
famine  in  the  East  in  68  that  reduced  almost  to  the 
vanishing-point  the  grain  exports  of  Alexandria  on 
which  the  capital  so  greatly  relied.  Titus  was  at  the 
same  time  preparing  for  his  campaign  against  the  Jews, 
which  was  to  end  with  the  capture  and  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  in  the  year  70 ;  and  no  supernatural  prophetic 
gift  was  needed  to  foresee  the  inevitable  end.  Yes,  there 
was  plenty  of  "  local  color "  to  lend  verisimilitude  to 
John's  prophetic  pictures  of  Rome's  approaching  down- 
fall. Great  convulsions  of  nature  are  the  appropriate 
scenic  setting  to  so  signal  an  event. 

The  three   woes   accompanying  the  last  three   trum- 


32  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

pets  arc  of  a  different  character — less  convulsions  oi" 
nature  than  punishments  inflicted  upon  men  for  their 
wickedness,  partial  judgments  in  anticipation  of  the  more 
complete  judgment  to  come.  Just  what  specific  calamity 
the  writer  had  in  mind  in  his  description  of  the  plague 
of  locust-scorpions,  it  is  difficult  to  determine — probably 
impossible;  but  the  symbolism  of  certain  details  is  not 
obscure.  The  venom  of  the  scorpion  makes  it  an  ap- 
propriate symbol  of  the  forces  of  spiritual  evil  that 
are  active  in  the  world;  and  the  "five"  months  during 
which  they  had  power  to  hurt  are  symbolical  of  a  com- 
paratively brief  space  of  time.  The  scourge  of  the  horse- 
men following  the  sixth  trumpet  seems  to  be  a  fairly 
plain  reference  to  that  invasion  from  the  East  by 
the  Parthian  hordes,  which  had  threatened  the  empire 
for  generations  and  was  always  dreaded.  John  sees  this 
army,  overwhelming  in  numbers,  irresistible  in  valor, 
breaking  through  the  barriers  of  the  empire  and  putting 
to  the  sword  a  third  of  its  population.  Yet  the  survivors 
did  not  turn  from  their  idolatry  and  wickedness — par- 
tial judgment  was  of  no  avail. 

We  have  now  before  the  sounding  of  the  last  trumpet 
an  interlude,  or  possibly  a  series  of  interludes.  The 
first  shows  us  a  strong  angel,  standing  like  a  colossus 
on  both  sea  and  land  and  proclaiming,  not  "  that  time 
shall  be  no  more,"  as  our  old  version  has  it,  but  that 
there  shall  be  no  longer  delay  in  judgment.  The  pur- 
poses of  God  are  ripening  fast,  and  with  the  sound  of 
the  seventh  trumpet  will  come  the  great  consummation. 
This  angel  had  in  his  hand  a  little  roll,  containing  (as  the 
context  makes  clear,  lo  :  ii)  the  word  of  doom  and 
message  of  prophecy;  and  as  he  is  bidden,  John  takes 
it  and  eats  it.  The  word  of  God  was  sweet  in  his  mouth  ; 
but  the  duty  of  proclaiming  it  to  many  people  was  a 
bitter  one.     The  ancients  spoke  of  the  bowels,    xocXia, 


apocalypse:  content  and  significance         33 

as  the  seat  of  the  affections  and  will,  where  we  would 
say  "  heart "  or  "  soul."  "  Every  revelation  of  God's 
purposes,"  says  Swete,  "  even  though  a  mere  fragment, 
is  bitter-sweet,  disclosing  judgment  as  well  as  mercy." 
For  the  prophet,  the  first  joy  of  full  knowledge  is  fol- 
lowed by  sorrows  deeper  and  more  bitter  than  those  of 
other  men. 

The  next  interlude  makes  it  plain  that  this  Vision  of 
the  Trumpets,  if  not  the  whole  Apocalypse,  must  have 
been  written  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem^ — not 
later  than  the  year  69.  The  temple  in  heaven  is  the  anti- 
type of  that  in  Jerusalem;  and  while  the  first  reference 
(II  :  i)  seems  to  be  to  this  heavenly  building,  at  the 
next  verse  transition  is  made  to  the  earthly  type.  This 
destruction  of  Jerusalem — the  identity  of  the  city  is  made 
plain  in  II  :  8 — is  to  be  preceded  by  the  preaching  of 
two  prophets,  Moses  and  Elijah,  or  men  of  their  type. 
This  is  shown  by  the  work  attributed  to  them.  There 
was  a  tradition  among  the  Jews,  in  many  forms,  of 
the  return  of  these  two  prophets,  which  probably  sug- 
gested this  episode.  The  two  olive  trees  are  suggested  by 
Zechariah  4  :  2-14.  The  symbolism  of  the  time  is  in- 
teresting, and  not  obscure :  the  twelve  hundred  and  sixty 
days  (11  :  3)  equals  forty-two  months  (13  :  5),  which 
equals  three  years  and  a  half  (12  :  14),  which  is  half 
of  seven  years,  and  is  used  in  the  Old  Testament  as  a 
symbolic  number  for  a  short  time  (Dan.  7  :  25;  12  :  7), 
or  for  an  imperfect  time  that  will  not  be  completed. 
(Cf.  Rev.  17  :  12.) 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  these  interludes  are  of  a 
different  literary  character  from  the  rest  of  this  vision — 
from  the  rest  of  the  Apocalypse,  indeed;  for  the  writer 
here  drops  the  character  of  dramatic  poet,  and  becomes 
the  mere  prose  narrator.  The  tone  is  utterly  unlike  the 
more  poetic  sections.  It  is  the  only  bald  prose  in  the 
c 


34  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

whoie  book.  Those  who  hold  that  various  interpola- 
tions have  been  made  by  a  later  hand  have  their  best  case 
in  the  passage  extending  from  lo  :  i  to  ii  :  14 — it  is 
so  evident  an  interruption  of  the  regularity  of  the  plan, 
so  patent  an  afterthought  on  the  part  of  somebody. 
And  yet,  this  may  not  imply  a  difference  of  authorship ; 
it  may  mean  only  carelessness  of  strict  literary  form.  In 
a  book  that  was  a  more  perfect  work  of  art  throughout, 
the  interpolation  theory  would  be  most  probable;  in  a 
book  showing  so  little  literary  skill  in  any  part,  it  seems 
quite  as  probable  that  this  interruption  merely  proves 
the  author's  inability  or  neglect  to  make  better  use  of 
his  material.  The  writer  everywhere  gives  us  the  im- 
pression that  he  is  more  intent  upon  the  substance  of 
his  message  than  upon  the  perfect  form  of  its  expression. 
With  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  the  end  of 
Rome's  dominion  and  the  triumph  of  Christ  are  announced 
as  having  taken  place ;  and  a  chorus  of  praise  from  the 
Elders  concludes  the  scene  and  the  vision.  But  though 
all  is  now  finished  as  to  the  dramatic  action,  the  subject 
is  resumed  in  the  following  visions.  The  same  ideas  are 
set  forth  in  a  series  of  figures,  each  time  with  added  im- 
pressiveness  and  wealth  of  detail,  until  at  length  nobody 
can  miss  the  great  lessons  that  the  writer  is  anxious  to 
impress  on  his  readers. 

4.  The  Vision  of  the  Kingdom 

After  the  vision  of  the  kingdom  victorious,  the  con- 
summation of  all  things,  nothing  could  follow  that  would 
not  be  anticlimax,  if  it  were  not  for  the  peculiar  con- 
struction of  the  Apocalypse.  As  has  already  been  said, 
we  are  not  to  look  for  orderly  progress  as  we  pass  from 
vision  to  vision ;  and  so  we  need  not  be  surprised  to  find 
that  the  theme  of  the  fourth  act  in  this  great  drama  is 
another  phase  of  the  conflict  between  the  kingdom  of 


APOCALYPSE:    CONTENT   AND   SIGNIFICANCE  35 

Christ  and  the  mighty  Roman  Empire,  whieh  to  John's 
generation  was  a  synonym  for  invincihle  power. 

By  many  scholars  the  episode  of  the  Woman  and  the 
Child  (12  :  i-io)  is  regarded  as  an  interpolation.  An 
alternative  hypothesis  is  that  the  author  has  worked  this 
episode  into  his  other  material  somewhat  clumsily,  and 
so  impaired  the  unity  of  his  composition.  The  episode 
itself  is  believed  to  be  of  Babylonian  origin — to  have  been 
suggested  by  the  myth  describing  the  conflict  between 
Tiamat  and  Marduk.  However  this  may  be,  the  author 
has  given  it  a  Christian  significance.  The  Woman  is 
evidently  a  symbol  of  Israel,  and  the  Child  is  the  Mes- 
siah. The  Dragon  is  the  Roman  Empire,  which  through- 
out the  book  is  treated  as  the  supreme  incarnation  of 
the  Prince  of  Evil.  The  seven  crow^ned  heads  and  the 
ten  horns  have  had  a  multitude  of  ingenious  and  con- 
flicting interpretations.  It  is  a  pity  that  so  much  in- 
genuity should  be  wasted  for  lack  of  appreciation  of  the 
symbolic  character  of  all  numbers  in  this  book.^  We 
can  understand  the  ten  horns  only  when  we  remember 
the  ten  days  of  persecution  (2  :  10),  the  ten  horns  and 
ten  diadems  of  the  Beast  from  the  sea  (13  :  i),  and  the 
ten  horns  of  the  scarlet  Beast.  (17  :  3.)  To  seek  for 
ten  provinces  or  ten  subject  kingdoms,  or  for  seven 
emperors  or  seven  proconsuls,  is  not  only  to  waste  time 
and  labor,  but  to  obscure  the  real  significance  of  the  sym- 
bols, which  are  intended  to  express  in  general  terms 
only — not  by  specific  enumerations — the  grandeur  and 
might  of  the  empire.    Rome  persecuted  Jews  and  Chris- 

^  Fouard,  in  his  "  Saint  John  and  the  Close  of  the  Apostolic  Age,"  Lon- 
don, 1905,  gives  a  good  example  of  what  happens  when  a  scholar  insists  on 
finding  a  literal  interpretation  of  every  feature  of  this  poetic  imagery.  He 
makes  the  seven  heads  of  the  Dragon  (12  :  3)  represent  the  seven  deadly 
sins,  while  his  ten  horns  are  "  ten  principal  epochs  wherein  Satan  and  the 
world  shall  reign  "  (p.  109).  The  seven  heads  of  the  Beast  (17  :  9,  10)  are 
also  epochs  of  history:  (i)  From  Adam's  fall  to  the  Deluge;  (2)  from  the 
Deluge  to  Abraham:  {3)  from  Abraham  to  Moses;  (4)  from  Moses  to  the 
captivity;  (5)  from  the  captivity  to  Christ;  (6)  which  still  lasts,  the  epoch 
of  every  ungodly  power;  (7)  reign  of  the  false  prophet,  which  "  has  not 
come  as  yet,  and  when  it  conies  will  endure  only  for  a  season"  (p.   120). 


36  THE   JOIIANNINB   WRITINGS 

tians  alike,  though  nut  perhaps  with  equal  severit}'.  But 
its  designs  are  in  either  case  brought  to  naught;  Jesus, 
the  Messiah,  is  caught  up  to  God's  throne,  and  the  woman 
flees  into  the  wilderness — the  latter  possibly  an  allusion 
to  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  throughout  the  Roman 
world. 

The  second  scene  shows  us  Satan  and  his  hosts  finally 
cast  out  of  heaven,  to  which  (as  in  the  prologue  to  Job) 
the  writer  conceives  them  as  having  had  hitherto  at  least 
occasional  access.  Their  anger  at  this  final,  irremediable 
defeat  brings  about  the  bitter  persecution  of  scene  three, 
symbolized  by  the  flood  that  the  Dragon  pours  forth. 

The  conflict  now  becomes  sharper,  and  takes  on  a  new 
character.  A  wild  Beast,  combining  the  fierceness  of 
leopard,  bear,  and  lion,  comes  up  out  of  the  sea,  and  the 
Dragon  delegates  to  him  his  power  and  authority.  This 
Beast  can  hardly  be  other  than  the  imperial  power  of 
Rome  as  personified  in  its  persecuting  emperors,  Nero 
and  Domitian."  This  hostile  world-power  was  the  great- 
est enemy  of  Christ  and  his  people  then  existent,  and  was 
believed  by  all  Christians  to  be  the  Antichrist — the  cul- 
mination of  Satanic  opposition  to  the  progress  of  the 
kingdom.  The  seven  heads  have  been  explained  as  the 
seven  emperors  who  had  thus  far  reigned :  Julius  Caesar, 
Augustus,  Tiberius,  Caligula,  Claudius,  Nero,  Galba. 
There  are  other  computations,  but  this  is  as  good  (and 
as  bad)  as  any.  All  that  can  be  said  of  the  best  of 
such  explanations  is  that  some  of  them  are  plausible, 
but  none  are  certain.  To  fit  the  ten  horns  to  any  known 
political  divisions  of  the  empire  is  quite  hopeless.  It  is 
far  better  to  regard  both  numbers,  as  in  other  cases  of 
the  kind,  as  not  literal,  but  purely  symbolic.  One  cer- 
tain conclusion  forces  itself  upon  one  who  studies  the 

-  With  less  probability,   Wernle  understands  the  second  Beast  to  be  the 
priesthood  of  the  Roman  emperor-worship. 


ai'Ocalvpse;  content  and  significance         37 

commentaries  upon  the  Apocalypse,  namely,  the  less  of 
arithmetical  computation  in  the  interpretation  of  the  book, 
the  more  assured  are  the  results. 

One  sentence  with  regard  to  the  Beast  has  given  rise  to 
much  conjecture,  and  it  seems  probable  that  a  reasonable 
explanation  of  it  has  been  worked  out :  "  And  I  saw 
one  of  his  heads,  as  it  were,  smitten  to  death;  and  his 
death-stroke  was  healed."  There  was  a  widely  prevalent 
notion  in  the  East,  in  John's  day,  that  Nero  was  not 
really  dead,  but  that  he  would  return  some  day  and 
resume  his  imperial  sway.  Some  even  believed  that  he 
had  returned  and  that  he  lived  again  in  Domitian,  who 
w^as  actually  called  by  his  contemporaries  Calvus  Nero, 
"  the  Bald  Nero."  It  is  this  idea  to  which  the  author  of 
the  Apocalypse  seems  here  to  allude. 

The  meaning  of  the  second  wild  Beast,  of  scene  five, 
is  still  more  obscure,  though  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the 
general  intent  of  the  writer.  This  second  Beast  evidently 
points  out  some  subordinate  of  the  emperor — a  proconsul 
or  Asiarch — who  had  made  himself  peculiarly  obnoxious 
in  Asia  Minor  by  his  introduction,  or  at  least  enforce- 
ment, of  the  worship  of  "  Rome  and  Augustus."  This 
Beast  is  described  as  "  like  a  lamb,"  because  under  the 
Roman  rule  Asia  was  a  peaceful  country ;  but  it  "  spoke 
like  a  dragon,"  for  the  imperial  power  was  great  and 
was  sternly  exercised.  It  "made  people  worship  the 
first  Beast,"  for  it  organized  the  state  religion  of  the 
emperors.  The  devotion  to  the  emperors  was  great  in 
Asia,  from  an  early  period  of  the  empire.  Augustus  is 
described  in  inscriptions  as  "  Saviour  of  mankind."  The 
imperial  cult  was  highly  popular  from  his  reign  onward, 
and  refusal  to  take  part  in  it  was  deeply  resented,  not 
only  by  magistrates,  but  by  a  large  part  of  the  people. 
The  political  unity  of  the  empire  found  expression  and 
sanction  in  this  common  act  of  worship.     But  to  Jews 


38  THE   JOHANNIJME    WRITINGS 

and  Christians  alike,  this  imperial  cult,  this  worship  of 
a  living  man  as  divine,  was  the  crowning  abomination  of 
idolatry.  Sacrificing  to  the  emperor — the  casting  of  a 
few  grains  of  incense  into  the  lamp  always  burning 
before  the  emperor's  statue — was  to  a  heathen  no  more 
than  an  oath  of  allegiance  which  every  loyal  citizen  ought 
to  be  ready  to  take :  to  a  Christian  it  was  the  one  idola- 
trous rite  that  he  would  under  no  circumstances  perform. 

The  "  brand  "  that  all  were  compelled  to  wear  may 
refer  to  any  one  of  several  things  abhorred  by  Christians 
because  of  their  idolatrous  associations  and  implications. 
It  may  mean  the  use  of  Nero's  coins  with  their  image 
of  Nero  as  a  god,  without  which,  of  course,  no  one  could 
buy  or  sell  in  the  market.  It  may  refer  to  the  brevet 
of  Roman  citizen,  sealed  with  idolatrous  emblems.  Some 
have  suggested  that  the  libelli  are  indicated — certificates 
that  the  bearer  had  sacrificed — which  were  becoming  too 
common  even  among  Christians,  who  sometimes  pro- 
cured them  surreptitiously  for  their  protection,  when  in 
fact  the  bearer  had  not  sacrificed.  In  13  :  15  there  is 
a  plain  reference  to  the  use  of  magic  and  ventriloquism 
by  the  priests  of  the  heathen  cults  in  order  to  deceive 
the  people.  Lucian's  satires  describe  with  plentiful  de- 
tail impositions  of  this  sort,  and  prove  that  they  were 
very  common  in  Asia  Minor  at  this  time. 

Nothing  in  the  Apocalypse  has  probably  caused  so  much 
•discussion  as  the  number  of  the  Beast.  He  has  been 
identified  in  turn  with  every  prominent  man  who  could 
be  esteemed  a  dangerous  foe  of  the  church,  from  Nero 
to  Napoleon.  But  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  Nero  is 
meant.  The  letters  of  his  name  in  Hebrew — the  lan- 
guage more  familiar  to  John  than  the  Greek  in  which 
he  writes  so  lamely — treated  as  numerals,  sum  up  666, 
as  has  been  often  demonstrated.  That  this  conclusion 
is  correct  becomes  a  moral  certainty,  in  view  of  the  fact 


ArocALYrsi£:  content  and  significance         39 

that  in  the  time  of  Irenaeus  some  manuscripts  read  "  6i6," 
a  reading  which  that  Father  could  explain  only  as  an 
error  of  transcription.  But  while  666  is  the  numerical 
value  in  Hebrew  characters  of  the  Greek  form  of  the 
imperial  name,  Neron  Kesar,  6i6  gives  the  value  of  the 
Latin  form,  Nero  Kesar.  The  change  was  therefore 
intentional,  not  accidental;  and  the  fact  that  both  num- 
bers were  deliberately  used  in  different  manuscripts  points 
beyond  reasonable  doubt  to  Nero  as  the  Beast.  But  while 
this  is  now  tolerably  certain,  it  is  wasted  ingenuity  to 
try  to  make  a  harmonious  teaching  about  the  various 
Beasts  of  these  visions.  The  writer  has  probably  used 
fragmentary  reminiscences  of  myths,  originally  Babylo- 
nian, that  had  become  part  of  the  common  stock  of 
Semitic  traditions.  The  myths  themselves  were  not  con- 
sistent, and  the  author  of  the  Apocalypse  made  no  at- 
tempt to  harmonize  them.  What  he  declined  to  do,  it  is 
surely  not  incumbent  upon  us  to  attempt. 

The  vision  closes  with  two  scenes  in  which  the  final 
judgment  of  Rome,  under  the  symbolical  name  of  Baby- 
lon, is  announced  in  the  past  tense,  as  if  it  had  already 
taken  place.  The  scenes  present  no  special  difficulty,  un- 
less the  extraordinary  hyperbole  with  which  they  close 
be  regarded  as  such  (suggested  possibly  by  Joel  3  :  12- 
14).  The  exaggeration  is  of  course  deliberate,  to  convey 
an  idea  of  the  great  quantity  of  blood  shed,  and  the  extent 
of  territory  laid  waste.  In  the  Vision  of  the  Bowls  that 
follows,  the  language  is  throughout  hyperbolical. 

5.  The  Vision  of  the  Seven  Bowls 

Let  not  the  reader  be  disturbed  by  the  word  "  slave," 
used  in  the  Apocalypse  to  describe  Moses  and  other  of 
God's  saints.  The  translators  of  every  English  version 
have  seemed  to  shudder  at  this  word,  and  have  rendered 
it  "  servant,"  which  it  decidedly  is  not.     A  few  have  by 


40  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

a  violent  effort  prevailed  on  themselves  to  go  so  far 
as  to  say  "  bond-servant."  This  misplaced  squeamishness 
has  resulted  in  obscuring  for  the  English  student  of  the 
New  Testament  the  ideal  that  runs  through  all  these 
writings  concerning  the  relation  subsisting  between  God 
and  his  saints.  That  ideal  is  perhaps  most  strikingly  set 
forth  in  i  Peter  2:9,"  But  ye  are  a  chosen  race,  a  royal 
priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  people  of  (God's)  own  pos- 
session." The  ideal  is  this :  Those  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  Christ  belong  to  him ;  they  are  no  longer  their  own,  but 
his ;  he  is  their  Master,  they  are  his  slaves.  The  apos- 
tles regarded  this  name  as  the  highest  badge  of  honor; 
and  Paul  begins  many  of  his  letters  with  "  Paul,  a  slave 
of  Jesus  Christ."  The  letter  of  James  and  the  second 
letter  of  Peter  begin  the  same  way.  The  complete  owner- 
ship of  the  believer  by  his  Lord,  is  thus  emphatically  ex- 
pressed. Foreign  as  this  conception  is  to  our  ways  of 
thinking,  it  was  natural  to  the  Christians  of  the  first 
century,  where  the  relationship  of  master  and  slave  was 
so  familiar,  because  so  universal. 

The  seven  plagues  following  the  pouring  out  of  the 
seven  bowls  do  not  seem  to  require  any  explanation — 
they  are  so  evidently  suggested  by  the  seven  plagues  of 
Egypt.  The  only  thing  that  needs  to  be  said  is  a  word 
of  caution  not  to  look  for  any  close  correspondence  be- 
tween this  imagery  and  the  facts  of  history.  It  cannot 
be  too  often  repeated,  the  Apocalypse  is  prophecy,  but 
not  prediction.  We  are  dealing  with  the  spirit  and 
methods  and  language  of  poetry,  even  in  those  scenes 
where  the  form  is  partly  or  wholly  prose. 

Each  of  the  scenes  into  which  the  Vision  of  the  Bowls 
is  divided  is  brief,  until  we  come  to  the  last.  In  that,  after 
the  plague,  the  doom  of  Babylon — often  foretold  in 
previous  acts  of  the  drama — is  now  actually  shown  to 
the   seer.     The   general   meaning  of   the   symbolism   in 


AI'OCALVPSE:    content    and   SlGNllTCANCli  4I 

chapters  17  and  18  is  clear.  The  Harlot  is  imperial 
Rome,  and  deserves  judgment  because  she  has  corrupted 
the  world  by  her  idolatry,  and  made  the  blood  of  the 
martyrs  flow  in  streams.  Many  interpretations  of  the 
details  have  been  given,  most  of  which  are  interesting  or 
curious  rather  than  valuable ;  and  the  best  of  all  is  prob- 
ably that  of  Renan.  The  Beast  is  Nero,  who  was  believed 
to  be  dead,  but  who  is  soon  to  return,  although  his  reign 
will  be  brief.  The  seven  heads,  as  explained  in  the  text, 
have  a  double  meaning.  They  are  the  seven  hills  of  Rome, 
and  also  the  seven  emperors  from  Julius  Caesar  to  Galba. 
Five  are  dead ;  Galba  remains,  but  is  soon  to  fall.  Nero 
will  reign  again  for  a  short  time,  and  thus  be  the  eighth. 
The  ten  horns  are  proconsuls  and  imperial  legates  of  the 
provinces — not  real  kings,  but  receiving  from  the  emperor 
for  a  time  power  truly  royal.  This  will  be  employed 
against  Rome  herself,  to  her  undoing.  This  is  a  plausible 
solution,  and  possibly  the  true  explanation  of  the  sym- 
bolism. 

But  the  impressiveness  of  this  vision  of  judgment  does 
not  at  all  depend  on  the  explanation  of  every  detail — in 
fact,  almost  the  contrary  is  the  case.  To  give  too  much 
attention  to  detail  is,  indeed,  to  risk  missing  the  lesson  of 
the  great  fact:  Rome  has  a  judgment  meted  out  to  her 
proportionate  to  the  greatness  of  her  iniquity.  In  de- 
scribing this  judgment,  John  rises  to  his  greatest  height 
as  a  dramatic  poet.  There  is  nothing  finer  in  Hebrew 
poetry  than  this  song  of  Rome's  destruction.  It  is  a  pity 
that  translators  and  printers  have  done  everything  in  their 
power  to  hide  from  the  English  reader  the  fact  that  this 
is  poetry — poetry  of  a  lofty  spirit,  of  beauty  of  expression, 
and  setting  forth  ethical  lessons  of  perpetual  weight  and 
significance. 

We  cannot  of  course  ignore  the  fact  that  Babylon  did 
not  fall  so  suddenly  and  so  tragically  as  the  author  of  the 


42  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Apocalypse  anticipated.  In  this,  as  in  their  beHef  that 
the  Lord  was  speedily  to  return  on  earth,  the  apostles 
were  mistaken.  But  John  was  right  in  substance.  The 
principle  that  he  proclaimed  is  eternally  true  in  God's 
world :  evil  is  doomed ;  destruction  will  overtake  it,  and 
that  equally  whether  the  evil  is  sin  of  individuals  or  of 
nations.  Insignificant  as  the  churches  then  seemed  in 
comparison  with  mighty  Rome,  a  babe  struggling  hope- 
lessly in  the  grasp  of  a  giant,  it  is  pagan  Rome  that  has 
passed  away,  while  the  Christian  Church  has  grown  into 
a  mightier  empire  than  Rome  ever  ruled. 

The  one  feature  of  this  vision  which  is  perhaps  easiest 
of  explanation,  so  great  a  scholar  as  Renan  gives  up  in 
despair,  saying,  "  As  to  the  special  puzzle  in  the  name 
Armageddon,  it  is  to  us  undecipherable."  The  true  He- 
brew form  of  this  name  is  Har-Megiddon,  the  Hill  of 
Megiddon — a  table-land  in  central  Palestine,  better  known 
perhaps  as  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.  This  plain,  on  which 
for  ages  armies  have  maneuvered  and  fought,  the  scene 
of  Sisera's  defeat,  of  Gideon's  slaughter  of  the  Midianites, 
of  the  death  of  Josiah  and  the  downfall  of  the  house  of 
David — becomes  in  John's  vision  the  meeting-place  of  the 
great  host  of  God's  enemies  with  the  Son  of  David  and  his 
hosts,  where  the  cause  of  evil  is  to  meet  a  disastrous 
and  final  overthrow.  (Judg.  4  :  16;  5  :  19;  2  Kings  9  : 
2^ ;  23  :  29. )  The  fall  of  Rome,  the  greatest  empire 
of  ancient  times,  and  the  victory  of  Christ's  kingdom,  are 
indissolubly  coupled  in  this  vision,  as  they  are  throughout 
the  Apocalypse. 

6.  The  Vision  of  Judgment 

We  are  rapidly  approaching  the  end.  Rome  has  fallen, 
the  imperial  power  is  no  more,  and  the  kingship  of  the 
Anointed  One  of  God  is  established.  The  great  chorus  in 
heaven  joyfully  makes  proclamation   of  this   fact,  and 


apocalypse:  content  and  signh-icance         43 

announces  the  immediate  marriage  of  the  Lamb,  the  eter- 
nal union  of  the  saints  with  their  God.  The  Church  Per- 
secuted, the  Church  j\IiHtant,  is  about  to  become  the 
Church  Triumphant.  But  before  this  can  take  place,  final 
judgment  must  be  pronounced  on  all  the  enemies  of  Christ 
and  his  Bride. 

Accordingly,  in  scene  2  Christ  appears  for  the  first  time 
in  the  role  of  a  conquering  King.  The  complete  and  final 
overthrow  of  his  enemies  must  now  occur.  An  angel 
calls  the  birds  of  heaven,  the  vultures  and  ravens,  to  come 
to  the  feast  that  the  field  of  slaughter  is  about  to  pro- 
vide (scene  3).  The  final  warfare  between  the  Beast  and 
the  powers  of  heaven  begins ;  all  the  opponents  of  Christ 
are  exterminated  by  the  sword,  and  their  remnants  are 
cast  into  the  Lake  of  Fire  (scene  4).  Then  the  Dragon 
himself  is  confined  in  the  abyss  for  a  thousand  years,  and 
his  power  to  deceive  the  nations  is  in  abeyance  during 
that  period  (scene  5).  The  martyrs  and  confessors  are 
raised  from  the  dead  and  reign  with  Christ  during 
this  thousand  years,  a  tribunal  being  established  to  deter- 
mine who  are  worthy  of  this  great  honor.  Satan  is  again 
let  loose  at  the  end  of  this  millennium,  and  the  final  con- 
flict between  the  forces  of  good  and  evil  occurs.  It  ends  in 
the  defeat  of  Satan,  who  is  this  time  cast  into  the  Lake 
of  Fire  (scene  6).  Finally,  John  sees  the  great  Day  of 
Judgment,  when  all  the  dead  appear  before  the  throne 
to  be  judged  according  to  their  deeds.  Evil  and  all  that 
do  evil  have  now  been  destroyed  beyond  recovery :  every- 
thing is  ready  for  the  great  consummation  of  the  final 
vision. 

What  did  John  mean  by  his  "  thousand  years  "  ?  This 
is  the  only  perplexing  problem  raised  by  this  vision,  the 
meaning  of  which  seems  otherwise  clear  enough.  The 
question  has  been  discussed  for  nineteen  centuries  with- 
out any   approach   to   agreement.     The   safest   answer, 


44  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

because  truest,  would  be  frank  confession  of  ignorance. 
That  John  meant  any  definite  period  of  time,  in  view  of 
his  invariable  symbolic  use  of  numbers,  is  quite  incredible. 
Of  so  much  meaning  as  this,  only,  can  we  be  quite  cer- 
tain: Great  and  special  privileges  will  be  reserved  for 
those  who  have  suffered  for  Christ's  sake,  when  the  day 
of  his  triumph  comes.  They  are  to  be  in  some  sense  the 
aristocracy  of  his  new  kingdom — an  aristocracy  that  rests 
on  worth  and  service  alone. 

But  it  is  quite  evident  what  John  did  not  mean  to 
convey.  The  first  resurrection  is  not,  as  has  come  to  be 
so  generally  supposed,  for  all  the  dead,  nor  for  all  the 
saints;  and  this  promised  reign  of  the  saints  is  not  for 
all  believers.  The  common  ideas  about  this  passage  are 
altogether  wrong;  they  read  a  meaning  into  the  words, 
rather  than  draw  from  the  words  the  meaning  their  writer 
put  there.  According  to  John,  only  two  classes  participate 
in  this  blessed  first  resurrection:  the  first  consists  of 
"  those  that  had  been  beheaded  because  of  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  and  the  word  of  God  ";  the  second  class  consists 
of  "  whosoever  did  not  prostrate  themselves  before  the 
Beast  and  his  image."  The  first  are  those  who  became 
martyrs  during  the  persecution ;  the  second  are  the  con- 
fessors^— those  who  had  been  arrested,  charged  with  be- 
ing Christians,  had  confessed  Christ,  and  refused  to  sacri- 
fice to  the  emperor,  but  had  not  been  put  to  death.  The 
great  mass  of  Christians  of  John's  day,  notwithstanding 
the  considerable  number  of  martyrs,  were  never  molested 
at  all.  Not  having  been  accused  or  arrested,  they  had  no 
occasion  to  refuse  sacrifice  to  the  emperor  ("  pay  homage 
to  the  Beast ").  They  have  no  part  in  this  scene — theirs 
is  the  second  resurrection  of  scene  7. 

We  cannot  forget  the  fact  that  this  is  the  classic  pas- 
sage of  the  New  Testament  concerning  the  millennium — 
that  in  fact,  the  entire  doctrine  of  the  millennium  depends 


apocalypse:  content  and  significance         45 

upon  ihe  interpretation  of  these  verses.  Two  schools  have 
arisen,  known  as  the  premillennial  and  postmillcnnial. 
But  a  careful  exegesis  of  the  passage  will  show  that  both 
are  equally  excluded  from  consideration.  Both  theories 
are,  so  far  as  the  Apocalypse  is  concerned,  extrascrip- 
tural  speculations,  about  which  nothing  has  been  revealed. 
Therefore  men  may  contend  about  them  forever  without 
coming  to  any  satisfactory  conclusion.  And  if  there  is 
nothing  told  us  here  concerning  a  millennial  reign  of 
Christ  and  all  his  saints — the  believers  of  all  ages — if  we 
read  only  of  a  reign  with  him  of  a  comparatively  few 
saints  of  a  single  age — what  becomes  of  the  tons  of  litera- 
ture that  the  centuries  have  produced  on  this  question? 

The  names  of  Gog  and  Magog,  in  20  :  8,  have  greatly 
puzzled  many  readers  ;  but  a  reference  to  Ezekiel,  chapter 
38,  will  remove  the  difficulty.  In  the  ancient  prophecy, 
Gog  and  ]\Iagog  are  the  princes  of  those  northern  hordes 
who  are  to  invade  Israel  "  like  a  cloud  to  cover  the 
land,''  as  God's  scourge  of  his  sinning  and  unrepentant 
people — ■"  in  that  day  when  my  people  Israel  dwelleth 
securely."  John  may  have  had  in  mind  in  his  use  of 
the  names  those  hordes  of  northern  barbarians  who  were 
a  constant  terror  to  the  Romans  and  were  ultimately 
to  destroy  the  empire,  as  a  type  of  the  enemies  whom 
Satan  was  to  assemble  for  the  final  struggle  against  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

7.  The  Vision  of  the  New  Jerus.vLEm 

The  series  of  visions  of  which  the  Apocalypse  consists 
presents  many  problems,  not  a  few  of  them  perplexing, 
some  perhaps  insoluble.  Without  utmost  effort,  our 
minds  can  hardly  be  brought  into  full  sympathy  with 
literary  methods  so  completely  foreign  to  our  lifelong 
habits  of  thought.  Much  of  the  imagery  seems  grotesque, 
so  that  if  we  met  it  anywhere  else  than  in  the  Bible,  it 


46  THE    JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

would  provoke  our  ridicule.  We  find  it  difficult  to  realize 
that  to  the  Oriental  mind  these  things  were  not  grotesque, 
still  less  ridiculous.  To  the  Western  mind,  accustomed 
to  orderly  procedure  and  logical  connection  of  events, 
the  scenes  of  these  visions  lack  order  and  coherence. 
The  seer's  point  of  view  is  continually  changing,  so  that 
now  he  represents  something  as  present,  which  a  moment 
ago  he  had  treated  as  past,  or  vice  versa.  If  we  insist 
on  applying  our  Western  modes  of  thought  and  stand- 
ards of  criticism;  if  we  judge  the  book  as  cold,  passion- 
less prose;  if  we  insist  on  logic,  consistency  of  part 
with  part,  orderly  progress  of  thought — the  ordinary 
virtues,  in  a  word,  of  our  ordinary  writers  of  prose; 
in  that  case  the  Apocalypse  will  have  little  to  say  to  us. 
If  we  cannot  study  it  more  sympathetically,  we  shall  do 
well  to  give  our  time  and  thought  to  some  other  part  of 
Scripture,  where  these  cherished  literary  canons  of  ours 
may  be  applied  more  successfully. 

And  these  remarks,  which  are  true  of  the  whole  book, 
especially  apply  to  this  closing  vision,  where  the  prophet 
attempts  the  impossible — namely,  to  give  his  readers 
some  notion  of  the  heavenly  glories.  For  after  all  that 
has  been  written  on  this  subject  by  inspired  pens,  no 
less  than  by  uninspired,  the  last  word  is  this:  "  Eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  him." 

In  this  last  vision  the  Jewish  training  and  prepossessions 
of  the  author  are  very  clearly  seen.  There  is  to  be  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth,  but  both  on  the  model  of  the 
old.  To  a  Jew,  Jerusalem  was  as  distinctly  the  center  of 
all  earthly  things,  as  Rome  was  the  only  visible  center 
to  a  Roman,  The  City  of  God,  in  John's  eyes,  is  there- 
fore only  the  spiritual  antitype  of  the  City  of  David; 
and  the  new  Jerusalem  descends  out  of  heaven  to  take 


APOCALYPSE:    CONTENT    AND   SIGNIFICANCE  4/ 

the  place  of  the  old.  Genesis  had  represented  man  when 
lirst  created  as  placed  in  a  garden.  This,  as  it  seemed  in 
that  age  of  the  world,  was  the  ideal  place  for  a  sinless 
being.  But  civilization  has  progressed,  and  John  has 
risen  to  a  higher  conception  of  manhood;  and  he  places 
redeemed  and  sanctified  men,  the  new  creation  of  God,  in 
a  city.  He  conceives  heaven,  in  other  words,  as  a  society 
composed  of  a  regenerated  and  harmonious  humanity. 

The  measurements  of  the  city  must,  of  course,  be  re- 
garded as  purely  symbolical.  If  we  take  them  literally, 
they  represent  a  city  one  thousand  three  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  miles  square  (a  space  equal  to  nearly  all 
central  Asia),  and  extending  the  same  distance  into  the 
air,  the  whole  surrounded  by  a  wall  two  hundred  and 
twelve  feet  high.  Even  to  an  Oriental  mind,  this  could 
be  nothing  short  of  absurd.  The  numbers  are  intended 
to  express  ideas  of  completeness  and  perfection,  as  is 
show-n  by  the  insistent  repetition  of  the  number  twelve. 

Only  one  or  two  of  the  details  demand  special  atten- 
tion. The  idea  of  a  stream  of  living  water  as  the  symbol 
of  heavenly  felicity  is  at  least  as  old  as  Ezekiel.  (Ezek. 
47  :  I-I2.)  The  "  tree  of  Hfe  "  is  a  phrase  like  the 
"  book  of  life,"  in  the  previous  vision — too  firmly  fixed 
in  Christian  literature  to  be  displaced  by  a  more  accurate 
rendering.  The  exact  equivalent  for  the  Greek  would 
be  "  wood  of  life  " ;  and  in  Greek,  as  in  English,  "  wood  " 
may  mean  "  grove."  It  is  evident  from  22  :  2  that  such 
is  its  meaning  here,  since  not  merely  a  single  tree,  but 
trees  on  both  sides  of  the  river  must  be  understood. 

Alany  readers  and  not  a  few  scholars  have  blamed 
John  for  his  method :  his  description  of  the  holy  city, 
they  say,  is  wholly  materialistic;  there  is  not  a  spiritual 
word  or  a  spiritual  thought  in  it.  Not  a  spiritual  word, 
it  is  true ;  but  the  thought  is  entirely  spiritual.  There  are 
no  spiritual  words — the  very  word  "  spirit "  meant  orig- 


48  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

iiiaily  uotliing  but  "  breath  '' — all  our  conceptions  of 
spiritual  things  must  be  expressed  by  words  of  material 
origin.  We  have  been  compelled  to  take  such  words, 
reeking  with  suggestions  of  the  flesh  and  the  world, 
and  read  into  them  the  concepts  of  the  spirit,  and  do  the 
best  we  can  with  such  symbols  to  utter  the  unutterable. 
What  figures  could  John  use  but  those  that  suggest  earth 
rather  than  heaven,  if  taken  in  their  literal  meaning? 
But  with  his  imperfect  means,  he  has  done  this :  he  has 
assembled  in  his  description  every  element  that  could 
impress  the  eye  with  a  sense  of  splendor,  or  appeal  to 
the  weary  heart  with  a  promise  of  rest  and  peace  and 
comfort,  or  suggest  to  the  pure  soul  the  joys  of  perfect 
holiness — and  what  more  than  this  can  human  language 
do  to  make  heaven  real  to  man  ? 

And  is  it  not  also  true  that  nothing  gives  us  so  high 
an  idea  of  heaven  as  the  fact  that  John  was  utterly  power- 
less to  express  in  human  language  the  delights,  the  beau- 
ties, the  glories,  that  we  may  believe  it  holds  in  store  for 
us  ?  His  utmost  is  but  a  suggestion — a  glimpse.  Yet  he 
makes  clear  this  fundamental  truth:  heaven  will  consist 
chiefly  in  knowing  God  through  his  Son,  and  in  eternal 
union  and  communion  with  him.  "  Such  language,"  says 
Professor  Porter,  "  was  the  best  the  writer  knew  by 
which  to  convey  his  hope.  It  was  indeed  fitted  to  convey 
only  the  emotion  of  his  hope,  not  its  intellectual  content. 
Just  this,  indeed,  is  its  value  still  for  us.  We  have  no 
better  language  than  his  in  which  to  suggest  the  incon- 
ceivable glory  and  blessedness  of  the  final  life  of  the 
soul  with  God."  ^ 

Many  things  of  minor  importance  in  these  visions  have 
been  passed  by,  because  it  seemed  that  any  intelligent 
reader  was  quite  as  competent  to  interpret  them  for 
himself  as  any  one  else  to  interpret  them  for  him.     If 

'"  Messages  of  the  Apocalyptic  Writers,"  New  York,  1905,  p.  287. 


APOCALYPSE:    CONTENT    AND   SIGNIFICANCE  49 

what  has  been  said  in  the  wa}'  of  interpretation  seems 
justified  by  the  text,  one  who  has  read  thus  far  will 
henceforth  find  the  Revelation  no  longer  a  mere  series 
of  insoluble  puzzles,  but  sufiiciently  intelligible  to  yield 
a  large  measure  of  encouragement,  of  comfort,  of  in- 
spiration. Of  all  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  none 
stirs  the  blood  with  such  a  trumpet-call  to  fidelity,  to 
endurance  for  Christ's  sake;  none  speaks  with  an  accent 
of  higher  certitude  regarding  the  triumph  of  the  king- 
dom ;  none  paints  in  colors  so  glowing  the  blessedness  of 
Christ's  redeemed  ones.  And  Christian  faith  still  echoes 
its  closing  words :  "  So  be  it ;  come,  Lord  Jesus." 

Note, — If  the  above  chapter  is  read  in  connection  with 
the  translation  of  the  Apocalypse  in  Part  II,  vision  by 
vision,  each  will  become  more  intelligible;  and  both  to- 
gether, it  is  hoped,  will  make  the  Revelation  a  new  book 
to  many  readers. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL:  ITS  PLAN  AND 
LITERARY  CHARACTERISTICS 


THOSE  who  study  the  Fourth  Gospel  as  literature 
are  likely  to  be  surprised  by  discovery  of  evidence 
concerning  its  authorship  that  has  been  overlooked  by 
most  critics.  Such  discovery  is  only  an  incident  of  the 
study,  but  a  very  important  incident.  How  has  it  hap- 
pened that  such  discovery  remains  to  be  made  at  this 
late  day?  Chiefly  because,  contrary  to  the  general  im- 
pression, the  literary  study  of  the  Gospel  has  been  much 
neglected,  one  had  almost  written  "  totally  neglected." 
The  general  impression,  though  quite  wrong,  is  also 
quite  pardonable,  for  the  critics,  especially  German  critics, 
have  done  their  utmost  to  persuade  the  world  that  they 
have  been  devoted  to  the  literary  study  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament documents,  to  the  exclusion  of  almost  everything 
else. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  strictly  true,  as  a  review  of  the 
critical  literature  will  convince  anybody,  that  the  German 
critics  and  their  admiring  imitators  in  England  and 
America  have  inexcusably  neglected  real  literary  study. 
Worse  than  that:  few  of  them  have  understood  what  the 
literary  study  of  an  ancient  writing  is.  Most  of  them 
have  been  engaged  in  verbal  study — a  kind  of  research 
that  belongs  to  the  sciences  of  grammar  and  lexicography, 
not  at  all  to  the  art  of  letters.  Such  study  is  related  to 
literature  as  Michelangelo's  shapeless  block  of  white 
50 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  57 

marble  was  to  ihe  statue  of  David  that  he  carved  out  of 
it.  The  study  of  words  is  no  more  the  study  of  Hterature 
than  a  block  of  marble  is  a  statue.  The  critics  have  been 
studying  the  materials  out  of  which  a  philosopher,  a  saint, 
and  a  writer  of  the  highest  skill  carved  that  superb  work 
of  art  that  we  call  the  Fourth  Gospel.  They  have  studied 
words,  words,  words.  And  they  have  left  practically  un- 
touched those  evidences  of  mental  and  spiritual  qual- 
ities that  are  found  in  the  writing,  when  we  go  beyond 
mere  questions  of  words  to  inquire  how  the  writer  has 
used  words  to  produce  his  artistic  result. 

Literary  criticism  differs  from  linguistic  scholarship, 
and  demands  other  aptitudes  and  attainments.  Men 
are  born  with  and  without  appreciation  of  literature,  just 
as  they  are  born  with  and  without  appreciation  of  music. 
IMost  men  can  discriminate  melodies  and  appreciate  har- 
monies, but  they  differ  greatly  in  quickness  and  keenness 
and  accuracy  of  their  mental  reactions  to  sounds.  If 
they  have  the  faculty  at  all,  culture  will  develop  it  to  a 
practically  unlimited  degree.  But  there  is  occasionally  a 
man  who  has  "  no  ear  for  music  " — that  is,  cannot  dis- 
tinguish one  melody  from  another.  To  him,  all  music 
is  just  a  pleasant  noise.  General  Grant  once  said  of 
himself  that  he  knew  two  tunes :  one  was  "  Hail  to  the 
Chief,"  which  had  been  played  so  constantly  in  his  honor 
that  he  had  learned  to  recognize  it ;  and  the  other  was — 
everything  else.  Some  men  cannot  recognize  even  two 
tunes,  and  are  thereby  shut  out  from  a  very  paradise 
of  enjoyment.  Such  unfortunates  may  become  learned 
in  the  whole  science  and  history  of  music;  they  may 
learn  to  perform  passably  on  some  musical  instrument ; 
they  may  even  compose  by  rule  tolerably  good  music; 
but  they  can  never  become  real  musicians;  and,  above 
all,  they  can  never  become  musical  critics.  Their  judg- 
ment of  music  is  absolutely  valueless,  because  they  lack 


52  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

the  first  qualification  for  intelligent  judgment :  true  ap- 
preciation of  musical  sounds.  And  even  a  man  who  is 
"  fond  of  music  "  cannot  form  a  worthful  judgment  re- 
garding a  musical  composition,  unless  he  has  studied 
the  art  of  music — has  learned  to  distinguish  and  evaluate 
the  different  musical  forms,  and  has  cultivated  his  natural 
love  by  hearing  the  best  music  until  he  has  come  to  know 
what  constitutes  real  excellence. 

All  this  is  true,  mutatis  mutandis,  of  any  art.  It  is 
especially  true  of  letters.  The  art  of  writing,  or  style,  con- 
sists in  the  choice  of  fit  words  and  arranging  them  in 
proper  order  to  convey  thought  to  others  most  effectively. 
It  is  the  art  nearest  to  music,  because  it  is  rooted  in 
sound,  and  because  words  are  susceptible  of  such  ar- 
rangement as  will  produce  on  the  ear  effects  similar  to 
what  we  call  melody  and  harmony  in  music.  They  are 
also  capable  of  arrangement  that  will  exactly  correspond 
to  the  rhythm  of  music.  This  is  as  true  of  prose  as  of 
poetry,  the  only  dift'erence  being  that  the  rhythm  of  prose 
is  irregular,  while  that  of  verse  is  regular.  Men  differ 
as  widely  in  capacity  to  appreciate  these  qualities  of 
style  as  they  dift'er  in  their  enjoyment  of  music.  And 
as  in  music,  so  in  literature,  no  matter  what  the  original 
endowment  may  be,  long  and  arduous  training  is  neces- 
sary to  develop  such  knowledge  and  taste  as  qualify  one 
to  pronounce  judgment  on  the  literary  characteristics  of 
any  book.  Scholarship  of  the  highest  order  is  no  quali- 
fication whatever:  it  may  even  be  a  serious  disqualifica- 
tion— that  is  to  say,  a  man  may  have  devoted  himself  so 
assiduously  to  the  acquirement  of  linguistic  learning  as 
to  permit  whatever  native  gift  he  may  have  had  for 
style  to  become  atrophied.  Even  the  fact  that  a  man 
writes  a  fine  style  does  not  of  itself  make  him  a  good 
judge  of  the  work  of  others.  The  creative  and  the  critical 
faculty,  the  ability  to  produce  and  the  ability  to  judge. 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  53 

are  not  always  united — possibly  it  would  not  be  too  much 
to  say  that  they  are  usually  disunited.  The  opinions 
of  great  authors  about  other  authors  are  always  interest- 
ing, but  seldom  valuable,  save  as  psychological  studies. 

A  special  gift,  therefore,  and  still  more  a  special  train- 
ing, must  be  conceded  to  be  necessary  for  the  success- 
ful prosecution  of  literary  criticism.  A  great  propor- 
tion of  the  literary  criticism  of  the  Scriptures  is  no  better 
than  waste  paper,  because  the  critics  have  been,  to  speak 
plainly,  utterly  ignorant  of  their  business.  They  have 
been  great  Hebrew  and  Greek  scholars,  but  they  had 
no  more  qualifications  to  pronounce  judgment  in  litera- 
ture than  in  music  or  painting.  And  for  the  same  reason 
in  the  one  case  as  in  the  others:  they  had  never  studied 
the  art.  Everybody  would  recognize  at  once  the  folly 
and  presumption  of  one  who  should  attempt  to  instruct 
the  world  regarding  the  masterpieces  of  painting,  unless 
he  had  first  spent  years  in  the  study  of  painting.  But  few 
see  anything  wrong  in  the  Hebrew  scholar  who  discusses 
the  literary  characteristics  of  Job  or  Isaiah,  without 
knowing  the  elements  of  the  art  of  literature.  This  dif- 
ference of  attitude  toward  the  literary  art  is  really  curi- 
ous when  we  come  to  think  of  it.  Not  one  man  in  a 
thousand  could  paint  a  cow  that  could  be  distinguished 
from  a  camel;  and  men  are  conscious  of  this  fact,  and 
so  they  speak  with  diffidence  about  painting.  But  every 
man  can  read  and  string  a  few  words  together;  and  so 
he  considers  himself  a  judge  of  whatever  is  written  and 
printed.  But  is  it  not  plain  that  the  untrained  man  is  as 
little  qualified  to  speak  about  literature  as  about  painting? 
Only,  he  will  not  recognize  his  limitations  as  a  judge  of 
literature. 

Another  prime  qualification  for  tlie  critic  of  literature 
is  spiritual  perception.  No  great  work  of  art  can  be 
judged — it  cannot  even  be  comprehended — unless  it  has 


54  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

been  studied  sympathetically.  A  hostile  attitude,  even 
if  it  be  unconsciously  hostile,  is  fatal  to  criticism,  because 
the  verdict  is  rendered  in  advance — unless,  indeed,  as 
sometimes  happens,  the  merits  of  the  work  are  so  over- 
whelming that  they  conquer  the  critic's  hostility  and 
awaken  his  sj^mpathy.  The  Scriptures  can  be  adequately 
understood  and  judged  only  by  men  who  have  had  the 
kind  of  religious  experience  that  the  Scriptures  record, 
to  whom  God  is  a  reality  and  his  Son  a  real  Saviour. 
It  is  true  that,  to  some  extent,  men  who  lack  this  experi- 
ence may  by  an  act  of  imagination  put  themselves  into 
the  place  of  a  believer  in  the  divine  revelation.  But  this 
artificial  sympathy  will  probably  result  in  an  artificial 
judgment,  such  as  Renan,  for  example,  arrives  at  in  his 
Vie  de  Jesus.  But  many  of  the  Johannine  critics  have 
not  even  made  this  effort  of  imagination;  and  they  have 
written  in  a  tone  so  hard  and  unsympathetic  as  quite  to 
disqualify  them  from  reaching  conclusions  worthy  of 
respect. 

Since  literature  is  an  art,  both  the  intellective  and 
esthetic  faculties  unite  in  its  production,  and  are  re- 
quired for  its  study  and  appreciation.  But  in  criticism 
at  least,  the  esthetic  faculty  is  more  requisite.  Differences 
of  literary  quality  and  method  in  the  main  make  their 
appeal  to  feeling.  The  coldly  intellectual  man  can  never 
fully  appreciate  literature  or  any  other  art.  Scholarship, 
being  purely  intellectual,  is  at  best  but  a  partial  quali- 
fication for  criticism.  The  critic  can  make  great  use  of 
scholarship,  and  the  more  learning  he  has,  the  more 
thorough  his  work  may  be;  but  generally  he  will  know 
how  to  make  use  of  the  scholarship  of  others,  rather  than 
himself  become  a  great  scholar.  For  insight  and  sym- 
pathy and  susceptibility  are  more  necessary  to  him  than 
mere  learning.  When,  on  the  contrary,  the  critic  exalts 
the  value  of  learning  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  sym- 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  55 

pathy,  and  comes  to  regard  his  impercipient  callosity  as 
a  virtue  and  not  a  defect,  above  all,  when  he  makes  his 
own  dulness  of  spirit  the  line  and  plummet  for  measuring 
the  work  of  his  betters,  he  is  the  least  pleasing  of  the 
creatures  that  God  has  made. 

II 

In  the  light  of  what  has  been  said,  let  us  now  attempt 
the  study  of  the  Gospel  as  a  masterpiece  of  literature, 
with  the  desire  to  understand  and  appreciate  both  its 
message  and  the  form  in  which  it  has  been  set  forth. 
And  as  a  first  step,  we  may  well  try  to  discover  the 
author's  purpose  and  plan,  without  for  the  present  at- 
tempting to  solve  the  riddle  of  his  personality.  Let  us 
provisionally  call  him  "  John." 

What  does  this  Gospel  tell?  In  what  does  it  differ 
from  other  Gospels  that  it  should  be  written  at  all  ?  The 
theme  is  announced  in  the  opening  sentences  to  be  the 
Word;  the  Word  that  was  in  the  beginning  with  God, 
and  was  God;  the  Word  through  whom  all  things  were 
made;  the  Word  that  is  the  Light  of  men;  the  Word 
that  was  made  flesh  and  tented  among  us,  that  he  might 
declare  to  men  the  invisible  God.  There  is  no  need  of 
wearisome  and  bewildering  discussion  of  the  Logos-doc- 
trine of  Philo,  and  what  "  John  "  may  have  borrowed 
from  Alexandrine  thought.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
"  John  "  never  heard  of  Philo  or  the  Alexandrine  philos- 
ophy. The  word  "  Logos "  was  floating  about  in  the 
common  stock  of  phrases  and  ideas  of  A.  D.  lOO,  just 
as  "  evolution  "  and  "  socialism  "  are  to-day.  Because  a 
man  uses  glibly  these  tokens  of  speech  is  no  proof  that 
he  has  read  a  word  of  Darwin  or  Karl  Marx  or  that 
the  name  of  Spencer  suggests  to  him  more  than  the 
teacher  of  a  popular  system  of  penmanship.  Aside  from 
use  of  the  word  "  Logos,"  the  Gospel  shows  no  trace  of 


56  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Philo's  influence;  "John"  shows  a  totally  different  con- 
ception of  God  and  the  origin  of  the  universe  and  the 
relation  of  the  Logos  to  humanity,  from  that  of  the 
Jewish  philosopher.  And  in  spite  of  the  library  of 
learned  nonsense  and  the  modicum  of  learned  sense  that 
has  been  written  on  this  subject,  this  use  of  Logos  to 
describe  the  preexistent  Christ  might  quite  easily  have 
been  independent  of  all  philosophical  speculations.  It 
is  a  metaphor  that  might  suggest  itself  to  any  thoughtful 
man.  A  man's  word  is  the  man  himself.  So  the  Word 
of  God  is  God,  and  at  the  same  time  the  revelation  of 
God's  will,  feeling,  thought.  The  Word  is  God  in  crea- 
tive energy,  he  is  God  coming  into  relation  with  the 
world  that  he  has  made:  he  is  Life,  he  is  Light,  he  is 
Truth.  And  the  complete  revelation  of  God  to  man  was 
made  when  the  Word  became  flesh  and  lived  a  man's  life, 
under  human  limitations.  "  No  one  has  ever  seen  God — 
God  only-begotten,  he  that  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  declared  him."  This  does  not  mean  that  the  Word 
was  transformed  into  man,  the  divine  into  the  human; 
nor  that  the  divine  became  contracted  to  the  limits 
of  the  human  and  so  indistinguishable  from  it;  but  that 
the  Word  assumed  human  nature — ^became  mysteriously, 
yet  really  and  indissolubly,  united  to  a  human  spirit, 
clothed  with  a  human  body — so  that  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
men  beheld  God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 

And  so  the  Word  had  breath,  and  wrought  ' 

With  human  hands  the  creed  of  creeds 
In  loveliness  of  perfect  deeds, 

More  strong  than  all  poetic  thought/ 

The  Fourth  Gospel  is,  therefore,  the  Gospel  of  the  In- 
carnation. And  the  fact  of  the  incarnation  is  made  thus 
primal,  central,  not  for  any  dogmatic  reason,  but  to  im- 
press duly  upon  us  the  lesson  of  that  incarnation:  By 

*  "  In  Memoriam,"  xxxvi. 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  57 

assuming  man's  nature,  the  Word  has  identified  himself 
with  man's  state,  obligated  himself  to  share  man's  burdens, 
to  bear  man's  penalty.  Those  who  come  into  fellowship 
with  him  enter  the  same  path  of  lowly  service  and  vicari- 
ous suffering.  The  same  mind  must  be  in  them  that  was 
in  the  Word,  who  emptied  himself  of  his  divine  glory 
and  power,  and  took  upon  himself  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  became  obedient  unto  death.  (Phil.  2  :  6-8.)  Though 
Paul  does  not  use  the  word  "  Logos,"  he  teaches  one 
doctrine  with  "  John." 

This  is  the  Gospel  of  the  Incarnation,  not  only  in  that 
it  begins  with  the  fact  of  the  Word  becoming  flesh,  but 
because  it  proceeds  to  tell  the  story  of  the  earthly  life 
of  the  incarnate  Word.  The  point  of  view  gives  to  the  V 
Gospel  its  peculiar  character.  How  the  life  of  Jesus  is 
conceived  by  "John  "  is  told  us  in  i  :  14: 

And  the  Word  became  flesh  and  tented  among  us, 

Full  of  grace  and  truth : 

And  we  beheld  his  glory, 

Glory  as  of  an  Only-begotten  from  the  Father. 

The  Gospel  is  nothing  more  than  the  expansion  of  that 
sentence.  The  life  of  Jesus  is  further  declared  to  have 
been  visibly  "  full  of  grace  and  truth  " — "  grace,"  the 
spiritual  condition  of  one  in  whom  God  dwells,  and  who 
is  thereby  completely  governed  by  the  divine  will,  and  is 
in  full  accord  with  the  divine  character ;  "  truth,"  exact 
outward  correspondence  in  word  and  deed  to  a  per- 
fect character,  which  exists  in  God  himself  chiefly,  and 
in  all  God's  servants  according  to  the  measure  of  their 
fellowship  with  him.  And  so,  in  Jesus  Christ  men  beheld 
"  glory,  glory  as  of  an  Only-begotten  from  the  Father  " — 
a  unique  and  absolutely  perfect  excellence,  a  Being  not 
only  without  sin  (that  would  be  merely  negative),  but 
possessing  and  manifesting  all  those  qualities  of  char- 
acter that  we  associate  with  God  himself.    To  justify  in 


58  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

detail  this  characterization  of  Jesus  the  Christ  is  the  one 
theme  of  the  Gospel. 

This  is  what  the  Gospel  has  to  tell.  The  object  of  the 
writer  in  composing  his  book  he  has  himself  explicitly  de- 
clared :  "  These  things  have  been  written  that  you  may 
believe  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that 
believing  you  may  have  life  in  his  name"  (20  :  31). 
^The  writer  did  not  set  out  to  produce  a  biography,  but  a 
Gospel;  his  purpose  was  not  historical,  but  homiletic.- 
But  he  could  best  accomplish  his  purpose  by  making  use 
of  much  biographical  material,  by  simply  relating  those 
things  in  the  life  of  Jesus  that  had  elicited  trust  in  those 
who  saw  and  heard,  and  were  fitted  to  elicit  like  trust 
in  whoever  might  read.  Those  who  had  eyes  to  see 
would  behold  the  beauty  and  perfection  of  character  that 
this  life  revealed;  they  would  trust  and  receive  life. 

We  must  pause  here,  at  the  risk  of  seeming  digres- 
sion, to  consider  another  theory  of  the  purpose  of  the 
Gospel — a  theory  that,  if  accepted,  would  greatly  afifect 
our  estimate  of  the  book  as  a  piece  of  literature.  It  is 
a  theory  that  can  claim  in  its  favor  high  antiquity  and 
the  approval  of  many  eminent  Christian  writers.  It  may 
almost  be  called  the  popular  theory  of  the  Gospel.  It  is, 
*  in  a  word,  the  idea  that  the  purpose  of  the  author 
was  chiefly  to  supplement,  and  in  a  sense  to  correct,  the 
other  Gospels.  The  notion  is  at  least  as  old  as  the 
time  of  Eusebius,  who  tells  us :  "  They  say  that  John, 
who  had  employed  all  his  time  in  proclaiming  the  gospel 
orally,  finally  proceeded  to  write,  for  the  following  rea- 
son: The  three  Gospels  already  mentioned  having  come 
into  the  hands  of  all  and  into  his  own  too,  they  say  that 
he  accepted  them  and  bore  witness  to  their  truthfulness ; 
but  that  there  was  lacking  in  them  an  account  of  the 

-  V.  H.  Stanton,  "  The  Gospels  as  Historical  Document$,"   Part  I,   Cam- 
bridge University  Press,   1903. 


GOSriiL:    PLAN    AND    CHARACTERISTICS  59 

deeds  done  by  Christ  at  the  beginning  of  his  ministry.  .  . 
They  say,  therefore,  that  the  apostle  John,  being  asked  to 
do  it  for  this  reason,  gave  in  his  Gospel  an  account  of 
the  period  which  had  been  omitted  by  the  earlier  evan- 
gelists, and  of  the  deeds  done  by  the  Saviour  during  that 
period.  John  accordingly  in  his  Gospel  records  the 
deeds  of  Christ  that  were  performed  before  the  Baptist 
was  cast  into  prison,  but  the  other  three  evangelists  men- 
tion the  events  which  happened  after  that  time.  .  .  And 
the  genealogy  of  our  Saviour  after  the  fiesh  John  quite 
naturally  omitted,  because  it  had  already  been  given  by 
Matthew  and  Luke,  and  began  with  the  doctrine  of  his 
divinity,  which  has,  as  it  were,  been  preserved  for  him, 
as  their  superior,  by  the  divine  Spirit."  ^ 

The  popularity  of  this  theory  is  no  doubt  due  to  the 
fact  that,  to  a  merely  superficial  reader,  this  explanation 
seems  to  give  an  adequate  account  of  easily  perceived 
differences  between  the  Fourth  Gospel  and  the  Synoptics. 
There  is  no  question  that,  as  matter  of  fact,  the  Fourth 
Gospel  does  to  a  very  considerable  extent  constitute  a 
supplement  to  the  other  Gospels.  Three-fourths  of  its 
matter  is  peculiar  to  itself.  The  "  English  Harmony  " 
of  Professors  Stevens  and  Burton  offers  to  any  student 
opportunity  to  satisfy  himself  of  this  with  little  effort. 
Thirty-one  sections  of  the  text,  as  there  apportioned,  are 
found  only  in  the  Fourth  Gospel,  twelve  are  common  to 
all  four ;  and  only  four  others  are  common  to  John  and 
one  or  two  of  the  Synoptics,  Or,  if  we  take  the  division 
into  paragraphs  of  the  Greek  text  in  Scrivener's  Greek 
Testament  as  a  basis  of  comparison,  we  find  the  following 
facts :  ninety-six  paragraphs  of  various  lengths  are  pecu- 
liar to  "John,"  seventy-two  to  Luke,  and  sixty-two  to 
Matthew — showing  that  "  John "  excels  all  the  other 
writers  in  originality. 

'H.  £.,  Ill,  xxiv,  11-14. 


Co  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

But  to  say  that  the  Gospel  does  in  fact  supplement  our 
knowledge  of  Jesus  gained  from  the  Synoptics,  and  to 
say  that  the  author  wrote  his  Gospel  chiefly  with  the  in- 
tention to  supplement  the  other  Gospels,  are  two  quite 
different  things.  The  "  supplementary  "  theory  probably 
originated  in  just  this  confounding  of  an  observed  fact 
with  the  author's  purpose.  For,  while  it  affords  at  first 
sight  an  adequate,  or  at  least  a  plausible,  explanation  of 
the  peculiar  features  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  the  moment 
we  go  below  the  surface  it  fails  to  account  for  nearly 
every  fact  of  importance.  Eusebius  indeed  suggests  an 
explanation  of  omission  of  the  genealogies  that  fairly  ac- 
cords with  the  "  supplementary  "  hypothesis,  but  most  of 
the  facts  observed  by  a  careful  reader  are  not  accounted 
for  at  all  by  that  hypothesis.  Indeed,  it  breaks  down  at 
almost  the  first  attempt  to  apply  it  to  the  facts.  If  the 
Fourth  Gospel  were  written  to  supplement  the  others, 
it  should  not  repeat  matter  contained  in  them;  or,  if  it 
does,  some  principle  should  be  discernible  to  account  for 
the  author's  choice  of  incidents  to  repeat  and  for  his 
*  omission  of  others. 

Now,  as  we  have  seen,  "  John  "  does  give  one-fourth 
of  his  space  to  telling  what  the  Synoptics  had  already 
told.  To  be  sure,  he  sometimes  supplies  additional  de- 
tails, some  of  which  are  quite  interesting,  yet  none  of 
them  are  of  prime  importance.  The  "  supplementary  " 
theory  utterly  fails  to  account  for  this,  and  the  more  we 
examine  these  incidents  in  detail  the  greater  this  difficulty 
grows.  We  find  the  most  unaccountable  inclusions,  and 
exclusions  equally  unaccountable.  Among  the  events  that 
"  John  "  retells  are  some  of  relatively  slight  importance 
in  themselves,  like  the  feeding  of  the  multitude  and  the 
anointing  of  Jesus  at  Bethany.  Among  the  incidents 
omitted  are  some  of  great  importance,  of  which  the 
apostle  John  was  the  sole  eye-witness  among  the  evan- 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  6i 

gelists;  such  as  the  transfiguration  and  the  agony  in 
Gethsemane.  If  anything  was  to  be  repeated  in  a  sup- 
plementary Gospel,  why  not  such  things  as  these  ?  There 
is  no  answer.  "  John  "  also  omits  the  miraculous  birth  of 
Jesus,  his  baptism,  his  temptation,  the  calling  of  the 
Twelve,  Peter's  confession,  the  institution  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  The  omission  of  these  and  the  inclusion  of  so 
many  other  things  of  less  importance  cannot  be  accounted 
for  by  the  "  supplementary  "  hypothesis.  And  finally, 
this  breaks  down  altogether  when  we  note  that  three 
entire  chapters  of  "  John  "  are  devoted  to  an  account  of 
the  last  days  of  Jesus,  and  of  his  resurrection — all  of 
which  had  been  told  with  such  fulness  by  the  Synoptics 
as  to  need  no  supplementing. 

Before  the  time  of  Eusebius  there  was  another  explana- 
tion of  the  purpose  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  that  should  have 
received  more  attention.  It  was  proposed  by  Clement  of 
Alexandria :  "  Last  of  all,  perceiving  that  the  external 
facts  had  been  set  forth  in  the  other  Gospels,  at  the  in- 
stance of  his  disciples  and  with  the  inspiration  of  the 
Spirit,  John  composed  a  sp^tual  Gospel."  *  What  did 
Clement  mean  by  a  "spiritual"  Gospel?  Evidently  a 
Gospel  that  would  bring  out  the  deeper  significance  of  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  and  the  divine  side  of  his  person  and 
character.  The  epithet  prepares  us  to  look  for  a  Gospel 
conveying  loftier  ideas,  more  philosophical  notions  of  the 
Christian  faith,  than  are  found  in  the  other  Gospels. 
Drummond  interprets  Clement  to  mean  that  "  John  "  set 
forth  his  higher  and  secret  doctrine  in  the  form  of  an 
allegory.^  In  any  case  it  must  mean  that  we  have  here  a 
Gospel  of  the  essential  and  typical,  as  the  author  under- 
stood things,  rather  than  the  factual  and  personal.     It 

*  Quoted  by  Eusebius,  H.  E.,  VI,  xiv,  7. 

s  J.  Drummond,  "  Character  and  Authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,"  Lon- 
don, 1904,  p.  33- 


62  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

was  because  of  this  spiritual  characteristic  that  Luther 
called  this  Das  eindgc,  sarte,  rechte  Haupt-Evangclien — 
the  unique,  tender,  truly  chief  Gospel.^  Or,  as  Augus- 
tine put  it,  "  John  has  taken  a  higher  flight,  and  soared 
in  his  preaching  much  more  sublimely,  than  the  other 
three."  ' 

Is  it  not  strange  that  so  many  writers,  ancient  and 
modern,  have  laid  so  much  stress  on  irresponsible  tradi- 
tion ("they  say"),  instead  of  going  to  the  book  itself 
for  light  on  the  author's  purpose  ?  He  has  stated  his  aim 
with  all  clearness,  and  if  we  accept  his  own  assurance  as 
to  his  reason  for  writing,  we  shall  see  plainly  what  guided 
him  in  choice  of  material  for  his  book  out  of  all  the 
facts  known  to  him.  He  almost  certainly  had  in  his  pos- 
session the  three  Synoptics.  But  he  evidently  did  not 
stop  to  ask  whether  a  given  incident  had  been  previously 
related.  No,  what  he  asked  was,  Will  this  fact  help 
elucidate  my  theme?  Will  it  make  better  known  to 
readers  the  character  of  Jesus?  Will  it  aid  them  more 
clearly  to  apprehend  his  teaching?  Will  it  tend  to  pro- 
duce trust  in  the  Giver  of  Life?  And  tried  by  this 
test,  we  can  see  why  each  incident  has  been  included,  as 
well  as  find  a  reason  for  the  exclusion  of  other  incidents. 
Each  fact  included  was  germane  to  this  purpose  of  the 
author ;  each  fact  omitted  was  either  unfitted  to  the  pur- 
pose or  superfluous.  If  in  some  few  cases  the  reason 
for  exclusion  is  less  clear  than  in  every  case  is  the  reason 
for  inclusion,  all  we  need  say  is,  No  writer  tells  all  that 
he  knows,  says  all  that  he  might  have  said ;  and  his  reason 
for  omitting  this  or  that  may  be  purely  subjective  and 
personal. 

It  is  therefore  the  merit  of  this  explanation  of  the 
author's  purpose  that  it  really  explains. 

0  Works,  Erlangen  edition,  LXIII,  115. 
'  Horn,  on  John,  xxxvi. 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  63 


III 

Having  thus  satisfied  ourselves  of  the  general  purpose 
of  the  author,  the  next  step  in  the  literary  study  of 
the  Gospel  is  to  examine  its  plan  or  structure.  We  find 
that  it  is  the  most  regular,  the  most  artificial  (in  the 
good  sense  of  that  word)  of  the  four  Gospels.  The  plan 
discloses  itself  at  a  first  reading,  and  is  striking  because 
of  its  symmetry.  Commentators  and  critics  differ  widely 
among  themselves  in  their  "  analysis  "of  the  various  New 
Testament  writings,  mainly  because  most  of  them  do  not 
study  the  writing  for  indications  of  the  author's  plan, 
but  start  with  a  subjective  notion  of  what  he  ought  to 
have  intended  and  manipulate  the  text  in  accord  with  this 
idea.  But  the  plan  of  "  John  "  is  so  evident  that  many 
scholars  have  recognized  one  of  its  features,  while  a  con- 
siderable number  have  not  been  able  to  close  their  eyes 
against  the  other.  No  one  of  them,  however,  has  set  forth 
the  whole  plan  in  accordance  with  the  author's  intent. 
The  contents  of  the  book  are  arranged  in  three  main 
divisions  (this  is  the  fact  that  nearly  all  have  seen), 
while  each  of  these  divisions  is  subdivided  into  seven 
heads  or  sections,  as  the  following  analysis  shows: 

Prologue,  I  :  1-18. 

I.  Testimonies  and  Manifestations  of  the  Early  Min- 
istry 

1.  Testimony  of  John  and  his  disciples,  i  :  19-51. 

2.  First  "  sign  "  at  Cana,  2  :  1-12. 

3.  Cleansing  of  the  temple,  2  :  13-25. 

4.  Conversation  with  Nicodemus,  3  :  1-21. 

5.  Second  testimony  of  John,  3  :  22-36. 

6.  Jesus  manifests  himself  in  Samaria,  4  :  1-42. 

7.  Second  "  sign  "  at  Cana,  4  :  43-54. 


64  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

II.  Testimonies   and    Manifestations  to  the  Jewish 

Nation 

1.  Healing  of  the  lame  man,  5  :  1-47. 

2.  Feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  6  :  1-71. 

3.  Jesus  at  the  feast  of  Booths,  7  :  i  to  8  :  59. 

4.  Healing  of  man  born  blind,  9  :  i  to  10  :  21. 

5.  Jesus  at  the  feast  of  Dedication,  10  :  22-39. 

6.  Raising  of  Lazarus,  10  :  40  to  ii  :  54. 

7.  Jesus  publicly  assumes  title  of  Messiah,  11  :  55 

to  12  :  50. 

III.  Manifestations  and  Testimonies  of  the  Last  Days 

1.  Jesus  manifests  himself  at  the  Supper,  13  :  1-30. 

2.  Last  discourses  to  his  Disciples — the  coming  of 

the  Comforter,  13  :  31  to  14  :  31. 

3.  Discourse    continued — Union    with    Christ,    15 

and  16. 

4.  The  prayer  of  Jesus,  17. 

5.  The  arrest  and  trial,  18  :  i  to  19  :  16. 

6.  The  crucifixion  and  death,  19  :  17-42. 

7.  The  resurrection,  20. 

Epilogue,  21. 

It  is  evident  that  "  John  "  was  profoundly  influenced 
by  those  ideas  about  the  symbolism  of  numbers  that  pre- 
vailed among  his  race,  and  he  has  constructed  his  book 
on  the  numbers  three  and  seven.  Further  study  of  the 
text  discloses  the  fact  that  this  symbolism  is  not  con- 
fined merely  to  the  plan,  but  extends  to  choice  of  material 
and  composition  of  sentences.  The  triads  of  the  Gospel 
are  numerous  and  impressive:  the  Baptist  bears  witness 
to  Jesus  three  times;  Jesus  journeys  to  Galilee  three 
times,  and  the  same  number  of  journeys  to  Judea  is 
recorded;  the  Passover  is  mentioned  three  times,  and 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  65 

three  other  feasts  of  the  Jews  are  named;  Lazarus  lay 
in  the  grave  three  days,  and  Jesus  did  the  same;  Jesus 
was  condemned  three  times,  and  spoke  three  words  from 
the  cross ;  he  appeared  three  times  to  his  disciples.  Some 
of  the  cases  of  threes  are  possibly  accidental;  but  in 
most  of  them  the  number  appears  to  be  deliberately 
chosen  for  its  significance.  It  may  be  added  to  the  above 
instances  that,  in  the  body  of  the  Gospel  (excluding  the 
appended  chapter),  Jesus  is  represented  as  working  three 
miracles  in  Galilee  and  three  in  Judea. 

It  is  easy  to  comprehend  this  association  of  the  num- 
ber three  with  the  idea  of  completion  or  perfectness  in 
the  minds  of  the  ancients,  and  it  is  a  phenomenon  by 
no  means  confined  to  writers  of  the  biblical  books.  Ob- 
servation and  early  experience  early  suggested  to  men 
a  general  threefold  division  of  things  and  events :  The 
root,  trunk,  and  branches  of  a  tree ;  the  head,  trunk,  and 
legs  of  a  man;  morning,  noon,  and  evening;  the  begin- 
ning, middle,  and  end  of  enterprises  and  events — these 
and  a  multitude  of  like  things  impressed  on  men's  minds 
the  significance  of  threeness  in  nature  and  history. 

The  significance  of  seven  as  a  number  also  denoting 
completeness  is  even  easier  to  account  for.  The  four 
sevens  that  made  up  the  lunar  month,  the  earliest  method 
of  reckoning  time  by  the  heavens,  deeply  impressed  that 
number  on  the  imaginations  of  men.  As  the  heavens 
were  further  studied,  the  seven  stars  of  Arcturus  and  of 
the  Pleiades,  and  the  seven  planets  visible  to  the  naked 
eye,  deepened  this  impression.  We  are  not  astonished 
therefore  to  find  in  this  Gospel,  not  merely  the  funda- 
mental grouping  of  the  material  into  sections  of  sevens, 
but  the  selection  of  material  much  influenced  by  this 
number.  There  are  seven  miracles  recorded,  and  seven 
parabolic  discourses.  The  distinctive  sayings  of  Jesus 
fall  into  groups  of  seven :  there  are  seven  important  say- 

E 


66  THE   JOITANNINE    WRITINGS 

iiigs  introduced  by  the  words,  "  These  things  have  I 
spoken  unto  you";  seven  references  to  the  "hour" 
of  Jesus;  and  seven  sayings  of  memorable  interest  and 
importance   introduced  by  the   words   "  I   am."  * 

It  need  not  trouble  us  that  these  numbers  are  so 
continuously  employed  in  the  composition  of  this  Gospel, 
nor  should  their  use  be  regarded  as  any  derogation  of 
the  literary  genius  otherwise  displayed.  Some  critics 
have  been  disposed  to  doubt  whether  a  mind  so  ham- 
pered by  these  artificial  trammels  could  construct  a 
great  literary  work.  A  little  consideration  will  give 
pause  to  a  conclusion  so  hasty.  Self-made  rules,  limiting 
one's  literary  form  or  directing  the  choice  of  material, 
have  never  really  hampered  genius,  or  there  would  have 
been  no  epics,  no  dramas,  and,  above  all,  the  sonnet 
would  never  have  been  invented  nor  practised  by  so  many 
great  poets.  Let  us  not  forget  that  we  have  one  of  the 
greatest  products  of  poetic  genius  and  literary  art  in 
the  Divine  Comedy  of  Dante,  which  is  quite  as  re- 
markable as  the  Fourth  Gospel  in  its  use  of  symbolic 
numbers,  since  it  is  constructed  throughout  on  the  num- 
bers three  and  ten.  Ten  is  a  number  not  prominent  in 
the  Gospel,  but  in  the  Apocalypse  it  plays  a  considerable 
part,  especially  in  the  multiples  of  one  hundred  and  one 
thousand;  which  are  indeed  used  in  all  literature  as  ap- 
proximate measures  of  things  whose  magnitude  is  rather 
to  be  indicated  than  computed. 

This  definite  and  involved  plan  at  once  and  finally  dis- 
poses of  the  theory  of  composite  authorship,  and  nega- 
tives the  attempt  of  certain  German  critics  to  apply  their 
favorite  partition  methods  to  this  Gospel.  Most  recent 
writers  emphatically  reject  the  contention  that  this  is  a 

8  The  seven  "  I  ams  "  are:  "  I  am  the  Bread  of  Life  "  (6  :  35)  ;  "  I  am  the 
Light  of  the  World"  (8  :  12);  "I  am  the  Door"  (10  :  7);  "I  am  the 
Good  Shepherd"  (10:  11);  "I  ara  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life"  (11  : 
25);  "  I  am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life"  (14  :  6);  "  I  am  the 
true  Vine  "   (15  :   i). 


GOSPEL  :    PLAN    AND    CHARACTERISTICS  dj 

composite  book.  Thus  Pfleiderer:  "The  Fourth  Gospel 
is,  in  fact,  when  all  is  said  and  done — this  is  a  quite 
unshakable  conclusion — so  entirely  of  one  piece  that  it 
must  either  be  held  to  be  genuine  as  a  whole,  or  if  that 
is  shown  to  be  impossible,  spurious  as  a  whole."  ^  Holtz- 
mann  is  quite  as  emphatic :  "  The  w^ork  is  both  in  form 
and  substance,  both  in  arrangement  and  in  range  of 
ideas,  an  organic  whole  without  omissions  or  interpola- 
tions, the  '  seamless  coat '  which  cannot  be  parted  or  torn, 
but  only  by  a  happy  cast  allotted  to  its  rightful  owner." 
Holtzmann  has  perhaps  exceeded  the  probabilities  in  de- 
claring that  the  Gospel  contains  no  omissions  or  inter- 
polations— as  we  shall  see,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
it  shows  traces  of  both — but  his  emphasis  on  the  essential 
unity  is  none  too  strong. 

IV 

No  sooner  do  we  pass  from  the  general  to  particulars 
in  our  literary  study  of  the  Gospel,  from  the  scrutiny  of 
plan  to  careful  analysis  of  paragraphs  and  sentences, 
than  we  become  aware  of  a  striking  characteristic  of  the 
book:  a  large  part  of  it  is  in  poetic  form.  Not  so  large 
a  part  of  the  Gospel  is  poetic  as  of  the  Apocalypse,  but 
the  Prologue  and  the  discourses  of  Jesus  are  distinctly 
marked  by  Hebraic  parallelism..  This  poetic  element  of 
the  Gospel  is  so  large  as  to  encourage  some  critics  to 
declare  that  the  entire  book  is  to  be  regarded  as  poetic, 
not  historic  nor  even  hortatory.  We  have  before  us  for 
study,  they  say,  not  a  history  nor  an  evangel,  but  the 
poetic  interpretation  of  a  great  religious  Teacher.  And 
through  this  haze  of  poetic  fancy  we  are  invited  to  * 
descry  the  veritable  Jesus  of  history — if  we  can.  A 
sound  literary  method  does  not  confirm  this  view.     The 

'"Primitive  Christianity,"  IV;   140. 


68  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Gospel  is  not  a  poem;  it  contains  poetry.  That  part 
wiiich  is  not  distinctly  poetry  is  distinctly  prose — a  mat- 
ter-of-fact, unimaginative  narrative,  as  little  to  be  con- 
founded with  poetry  as  Caesar's  Commentaries, 

Of  the  poetry  of  this  Gospel,  as  of  all  Oriental  poetry, 
it  is  true  that  it  discloses  little  of  that  pure  and  polished 
beauty  so  prized  by  the  West.  It  is  not  the  product  of 
delicate  and  precious  artistry.  But  the  poetry  of  the 
Gospel  is  even  less  poetic,  according  to  Western  ideas, 
than  that  of  the  Apocalypse.  If  the  style  of  poetry 
should  be,  as  Milton  said,  "  simple,  sensuous,  impas- 
sioned," the  Apocalypse  meets  this  requirement  and  so 
far  justifies  its  classification  with  other  great  poems  of 
the  world's  literature.  But  of  the  three  epithets  of  Mil- 
ton, the  Gospel  poetry  can  lay  claim  only  to  the  first; 
its  style  is  usually  simple,  but  never  sensuous,  and  is 
thoughtful  rather  than  impassioned.  There  is  a  dif- 
ference in  quality  between  the  two  writings  like  that  be- 
tween Byron  and  Wordsworth. 

Unity  is  the  only  reasonable  conclusion  regarding  the 
Gospel,  as  we  have  seen  from  a  study  of  the  plan,  and 
study  of  the  style  suggests  no  other.  The  style  is  notable 
for  certain  well-marked  mannerisms,  the  recurrence  of 
characteristic  words  or  phrases,  some  of  which  are  com- 
mon words  used  in  an  uncommon  sense,  while  others 
are  words  found  in  none  of  the  other  Gospels,  if  any- 
where else  in  the  New  Testament.  The  more  prominent 
of  these  words  and  phrases  it  will  be  profitable  for  us  to 
consider  in  detail. 

^A^aTidu)  and  dydTtrj,  "  love,"  though  used  by  the  Synop- 
tists  (Mark  lacks  dydrn},  Matthew  and  Luke  have  it  once 
each)  occur  so  frequently  in  "  John  "  and  in  a  sense  so 
distinctive  as  to  make  them  his  special  words.  They  are 
used  to  denote  equally  the  benevolent  love  of  God  toward 
man,  the  reverent  and  obedient  love  of  man  toward  God, 


J 


gospel;  plan  and  characteristics  69 

and  the  unselfish  love  of  the  sons  of  God  toward  each 
other,  and  even  toward  their  enemies.  "  Love  "  in  this 
Gospel  is  not  so  much  an  emotion  as  a  principle  of  action, 
and  implies  active  good  will  more  than  mere  affection. 
For  the  latter  "  John  "  uses  (peUco. 

\lkrjdeca,  "  truth,"  found  but  seven  times  in  the  Synop- 
tics, and  then  in  the  usual  sense,  is  generally  made  by 
"  John  "  to  indicate  truth  in  some  mystical,  esoteric  sense, 
as  the  secret  of  Jesus,  the  sum  total  of  his  teaching  re- 
garding God,  man,  and  duty.  Sometimes  it  describes  the 
corresponding  character  of  man  when  he  has  become 
like  God.  Paul  sometimes  makes  use  of  the  word  in  a 
similar  way,  but  with  a  more  distinctly  dogmatic  con- 
tent, to  denote  the  whole  system  of  Christ's  teaching. 
The  cognate  words  are  also  important;  alrfiric,  is  merely 
true,  as  distinguished  from  false,  whereas  dXrfiivbc: 
means  to  have  the  character  described  by  alr^Qua^ 
genuine,  free  from  deceit,  candid. 

^A/iijv,  "  amen,"  is  very  common,  as  in  the  Synoptics,  but 
is  always  used  by  "  John  "  in  the  double  form,  d/jiTJv,  ajx-jv^ 
Xeyco  uficv,  "  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,"  which  occurs 
no  fewer  than  twenty-three  times  and  is  one  of  the 
most  characteristic  marks  of  the  Johannine  style. 

Fcvcoaxecv,  "  to  know,"  in  all  its  varied  forms,  implies 
a  peculiar  knowledge  of  God  and  divine  things,  the  pos- 
session of  a  Christian  yvufac^,  "  knowledge,"  superior  to 
that  of  the  pagans — a  sense  of  the  word  not  found  in 
the  Synoptics,  but  clearly  paralleled  in  the  writings  of 
Paul. 

Ao^a,  "  glory,"  and  oo^d^co,  "  glorify,"  are  very  com- 
mon words,  occurring  some  forty-two  times:  and  while 
it  might  be  difficult  to  show  that  "  John  "  uses  them  in 
a  unique  meaning,  his  frequent  resort  to  them  constitutes 
one  of  the  striking  features  of  his  Gospel.  In  a  few  cases 
they  denote  merely  honor,  or  the  giving  of  honor;  but 


JO  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

generally  they  refer  to  the  majesty  of  Christ's  character, 
his  perfect  moral  excellence,  and  consequent  preeminence 
among  men,  which  "  the  Jews  "  stubbornly  refused  to 
recognize. 

"Epjov,  "  work,"  more  commonly  found  in  the  plural, 
as  it  is  occasionally  used  in  the  Synoptics,  to  describe 
the  miracles  of  Jesus;  but  in  the  Synoptics  epya 
more  commonly  describes  ceremonial  righteousness,  the 
"  works "  prescribed  by  the  Levitical  law  and  Jewish 
tradition.  (Matt.  5  :  16;  11  :  19;  23  :  3,  5.)  It  be- 
comes a  distinctive  Johannine  term,  for  duvapicz,  "  mighty 
work,"  which  is  the  Synoptic  word  for  miracle,  "  John  " 
never  uses.  On  the  contrary,  his  preference  is  ar^pCtov, 
"  sign,"  which  occurs  often  in  the  Synoptics,  but  still 
more  often  in  "John,"  and  is  significant  of  his  general 
attitude  of  mind  to  the  works  of  Jesus.  For  to  him 
the  striking  thing  about  a  miracle  was  not  the  exercise 
of  supernatural  power,  but  the  spiritual  significance  in 
the  thing  done.  A  miracle  was  truly  to  him  a  "  sign  " 
and  it  was  little  else. 

Zco^,  "  life,"  occurs  thirty-seven  times.  It  is  not  a 
word  peculiar  to  "  John,"  but  while  the  Synoptists  speak 
of  life,  "  John  "  speaks  of  Life — the  fulness  of  life  that 
belongs  to  God  and  is  communicated  by  him  to  those 
who  trust  in  Jesus  and  follow  him.  Occasionally,  but 
not  often,  it  is  called  ^oij  aicbvcoz,  "  eternal "  or  "  ever- 
lasting "  life,  as  it  is  usually  translated.  But  neither  of 
these  English  words  conveys  the  idea  of  the  original, 
because  they  concentrate  thought  on  the  element  of  dura- 
tion of  life  instead  of  quality.  ^o)ij  accouio^  is  much 
more  than  unending  life ;  it  is  a  relation  to  God  of  the 
most  intimate  and  happy  sort,  which  is  a  possession 
enjoyed  now  and  forever  inalienable.  When  the  later 
Christian  ages  lost  sight  of  this  significance  of  the  words, 
hope  of  endless  life  degenerated  into  fear  of  endless  pain, 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  71 

and  heaven  became  far  less  real  to  the  medieval  world  than 
hell.  But  while  "  John  "  puts  this  fulness  of  meaning  into 
^(OTJy  he  docs  not  spiritualize  ddvavo^,  "  death,"  so  much 
as  Paul  does.  He  prefers  to  dwell  on  the  bright,  positive, 
inspiring  idea  of  life. 

'loudacoi,  "  Jews,"  is  a  word  so  peculiarly  used  by 
"  John  "  as  to  lead  some  critics  to  assert  that  the  author  of 
the  Gospel  could  not  himself  have  been  a  Jew.  But  this  is 
to  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  there  are  two  classes  of 
passages  in  which  we  find  the  word :  in  one  class  it  has 
the  usual  meaning,  "  people  of  the  Hebrew  race " ;  in 
the  other,  it  means  the  Jewish  people  as  represented  by 
their  ruling  caste.  In  forty-nine  cases  it  has  this  mean- 
ing, and  plainly  describes,  not  the  Jews  as  a  whole,  but 
the  official  opponents  and  persecutors  of  Jesus,  together 
with  their  agents  and  sympathizers.  These  were,  in  ef- 
fect, the  nation;  and  it  was  natural  that  "  John  "  or  any 
other  Christian  writer  at  the  end  of  the  first  century 
should  have  come  to  think  of  them  as  an  alien  and  hostile 
people,  with  whom  he  had  nothing  in  common  but  the 
accident  of  birth. 

KofffLOt;,  "  world,"  we  find  fully  three  times  as  often  in 
"  John "  as  in  all  three  of  the  Synoptics,  and  about 
half  the  entire  number  of  times  in  the  entire  New  Tes- 
tament. It  therefore  becomes  a  distinctive  word  of  the 
Gospel,  where  it  signifies  not  so  often  the  ordered  uni- 
verse as  the  aggregate  of  men  and  things  opposed  to  God. 

Kpiac^,  "  judgment,"  xpivco,  "  to  judge,"  are  words  of 
inherent,  not  numerical,  importance,  though  used  twenty- 
nine  times  in  the  Gospel.  The  judgment  is  not  forensic, 
but  individual;  not  final,  but  present — the  decision  to 
which  men  come  in  the  forum  of  conscience,  and  thereby 
determine  character  and  conduct.  This  is  a  sense  not 
found  elsewhere,  or,  at  all  events,  but  rarely. 

Aafi^dvco,  "  to  receive,"  is  a  common  word  throughout 


"^2  THE   JOliANNINE   WRITINGS 

the  New  Testament;  nevertheless  it  has  a  somewhat 
peculiar  sense  in  the  Gospel,  whenever  it  is  applied  to 
Jesus.  To  "  receive  "  him  or  his  word  is  equivalent  to 
having  "  faith  "  or  trust. 

Abyoz,  "  word,"  is  a  well-recognized  Johannine  word, 
yet  outside  of  the  Prologue  it  has  no  special  significance 
in  the  Gospel. 

Maprupia,  "  testimony,"  juaprupew,  "  to  testify,"  are 
keywords  of  tlie  Gospel,  and  occur  seventy-nine  times.  "  I 
have  been  born  for  this,"  said  Jesus  to  Pilate,  "  and  for 
this  I  have  come  into  the  world,  to  testify  to  the  truth  " — 
the  truth,  namely,  that  he  was  King,  Messiah,  Son  of 
God.  (i8  :  T^y.)  The  mission  of  Jesus  is  thus  defined 
by  himself  as  that  essentially  of  testimony,  witness-bear- 
ing, the  declaring  of  God  to  man.  Accordingly,  the  entire 
public  life  of  Jesus  is  viewed  in  this  Gospel  as  fiapzupia. 
The  Word  became  flesh  that  he  might  become  God's  wit- 
ness; the  book  was  written  in  testimony  to  the  words 
and  work  of  Jesus,  that  men  might  believe  him  to  be  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 

"Ovofta, "  name,"  while  used  by  nearly  every  New  Tes- 
tament writer,  undoubtedly  has  a  special  and  character- 
istic sense  in  the  Gospel,  especially  in  the  phrase  iv 
dvofiari  fxoo,  "  in  my  name,"  found  ten  times  in  chapters 
14  to  20.  This  does  not  occur  in  the  Synoptics  un- 
less in  the  doubtful  case  of  Mark  9  :  41,  where  Tischen- 
dorf  alone  has  that  reading,  and  in  Luke  10  :  17,  20. 
Elsewhere  in  the  Synoptics  the  phrase  corresponding  is, 
inl  dvofiari  fiou,  "  by  my  name." 

JJcaztua),  "  to  believe,"  occurs  ninety-eight  times,  while 
strangely  enough  the  Gospel  does  not  once  contain  mari^y 
so  common  everywhere  else.  The  common  English 
equivalent,  "  faith,"  is  rather  a  mistranslation  than  a 
translation.  For  7ilaxc(;  is  an  ethical  thing  rather  than 
an  intellectual,  something  active,  not  an  abstraction.     It 


gospel:  flan  and  characteristics  "72^ 

is  best  rendered  into  English  by  "  trust,"  since  in  every 
case  it  implies  the  affectionate  choice  of  Jesus  as  De- 
liverer, Teacher,  Master.  The  constant  reproach  of 
Jesus  to  "  the  Jews  "  was  that  they  would  not  trust  him, 
would  not  commit  themselves  to  him  as  disciples  to  a 
teacher,  would  not  accept  him  as  the  Messiah. 

Idp^,  "  flesh,"  is  a  conspicuous  word  in  the  Gospel,  es- 
pecially in  chapter  6,  which  has  been  called  the  core  of 
the  book.  The  Synoptics  and  Paul  agree  in  making 
Jesus  use  the  phrase  ro  aa}[m  [jlou,  "  my  body,"  in  the  in- 
stitution of  the  eucharist,  but  in  this  discourse  "  John  " 
puts  jj  odp^  [lou,  "  my  flesh,"  seven  times  into  the  mouth 
of  Jesus,  while  "  the  Jews  "  use  it  once.  To  be  sure,  it  is 
a  matter  of  dispute  whether  Jesus  was  in  this  discourse 
referring  to  the  eucharist  by  way  of  anticipation;  but 
whether  Jesus  had  in  mind  the  eucharist  or  not,  it  is 
evident  that  the  writer  of  the  Gospel  had  it  very  dis- 
tinctly in  mind.  Paul  also  uses  adp^  metaphorically,  but 
always  in  antithesis  to  nvvjfia,  "  spirit,"  never  as  in 
"  John,"  whose  treatment  of  the  word  is  unique  and 
striking.  The  words  acofia  and  ffdp^  may  be  regarded  as 
variant  renderings  of  the  Aramaic  word  actually  spoken 
by  Jesus. 

<^a»c,  "  light,"  is  often  used  in  a  figurative  sense  in  the 
Synoptics,  as,  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  " ;  but  it  is 
a  favorite  word  with  "  John,"  who  employs  it  no  fewer 
than  twenty-three  times.  It  first  of  all  denotes  the  divine 
nature,  incorporeal,  holy :  Truth  and  Wisdom  emanating 
from  God  and  illuminating  mankind.  Then  it  describes 
Jesus  as  the  embodiment  of  the  divine  Holiness,  Wis- 
dom, and  Truth,  and  so  become  preeminently  the  Light 
of  the  Cosmos.  Of  course,  gxoto^,  "  darkness,"  is  the 
precise  opposite  of  all  this — ignorance  of  God  and  his 
revelation,  the  necessary  consequence  of  which  is  moral 
degradation. 


74  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Qavtpbo),  "  to  manifest,"  is  by  some  reckoned  among 
the  Johannine  words,  and  perhaps  justly,  though  it  is 
used  only  nine  times.  It  is  found  in  the  genuine  text 
of  the  Synoptics  only  once.  (Mark  4  :  22.) 

Ti/jpeo),  "  to  keep,"  must  certainly  be  placed  among  the 
distinctive  words  of  the  Gospel,  for  though  not  unknown 
elsewhere,  it  is  so  frequently  used  by  "  John  "  as  to  be- 
come characteristic  of  his  style.  It  is  commonly  coupled 
with  Xoyov,  "  word,"  or  ivzoXdz,  "  commandments." 

Besides  those  words  that  may  be  claimed  with  some 
confidence  as  distinctively  Johannine,  there  are  a  number 
found  in  the  Synoptics,  but  much  more  frequently  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  and  generally  in  some  figurative  or  spe- 
cial sense.  Kupcoc:  is  an  excellent  instance ;  in  thirty-two 
cases  out  of  fifty-three  it  is  a  mere  term  of  address,  prac- 
tically equivalent  to  "  Sir."  Other  instances  often  occur- 
ring are :  Tzetvav  and  di(/'av,  to  "  hunger  "  and  "  thirst  " 
for  spiritual  things ;  mpiTzavsTu,  to  "  walk,"  in  the  sense 
of  general  conduct.  These  illustrations  might  be  much 
amplified  without  throwing  any  additional  light  on  the 
subject,  since  the  main  purpose  of  our  study  is  by  no 
means  an  exhaustive  comparison  of  the  vocabularies  of 
the  Synoptics  with  "  John." 

There  are  also  numerous  words  common  in  the  Synop- 
tics that  are  seldom  or  never  used  by  "  John,"  and  this 
fact  constitutes  another  feature  of  his  style.  Thus  coou, 
"  lo,"  one  of  the  commonest  Synoptic  words,  occurs  but 
four  times  in  the  Gospel,  while  cde,  "  see,"  rare  in  the 
Synoptics,  is  found  fifteen  times  in  "  John."  Matthew's 
favorite  tots,  "  then,"  is  used  sparingly ;  sddui:,  "  straight- 
way," is  found  three  times  to  Mark's  forty-two,  while 
8.7za^,  "  once  for  all,"  of  which  Luke  is  quite  fond,  occurs 
but  once ;  and  fJtiya^,  "  great,"  frequent  in  all  the  Synop- 
tics, is  almost  absent  from  "  John."  Some  have  thought 
that  this  Gospel's  avoidance  of  certain   common   New 


gospel:  plan  and  characteristics  75 

Testament  words,  such  as  eua-jje/Ja,  "  gospel,"  and  e-jay- 
Ye}.c^aj,  "  preach  the  gospel,"  is  a  fact  not  easily  explained. 
On  the  contrary,  the  explanation  is  the  easiest  possible: 
the  writer  did  not  choose  to  use  them.  He  could  not 
have  been  ignorant  of  them — no  words  could  be  more 
familiar  to  any  early  Christian  writer  than  these.  It  is 
the  commonest  of  all  literary  phenomena,  this  that  has 
so  puzzled  the  critics;  there  are,  for  example,  several 
thousand  English  words  known  to  the  writer  of  this  book 
which  he  has  not  chosen  to  use  in  these  pages. 

The  choice  of  words  made  by  any  writer  from  the 
entire  number  known  to  him  is  determined  by  the  course 
of  his  thought  and  the  nature  of  his  theme.  The  frequent* 
occurrence  of  certain  words  in  one  composition  and  their 
complete  absence  from  another  may  not  be  a  mark  of 
style  at  all,  but  the  necessary  result  of  a  difference  of  sub- 
ject-matter. A  treatise  on  geology  will  necessarily  contain 
many  w^ords  not  found  in  an  essay  on  painting,  while 
a  book  of  theology  will  differ  widely  from  both.  One 
would  be  ashamed  to  dwell  on  such  a  truism,  if  it  had 
not  been  so  persistently  ignored  by  critics.  The  neglect 
of  this  simple  principle,  the  mere  statement  of  which 
secures  for  it  the  assent  of  every  qualified  student  of 
literature,  has  vitiated  most  of  what  has  been  written  by 
New  Testament  critics  about  the  "  style  "  of  the  various 
books,  and  makes  particularly  vicious  conclusions  reached 
by  mere  comparison  of  words.  The  results  thus  far 
attained  by  verbal  criticism  of  the  New  Testament  re- 
quire to  be  carefully  checked  by  other  methods  of  study 
and  subjected  to  rigorous  tests,  before  real  significance 
can  be  conceded  to  them. 

Foremost  among  the  influences  that  determine  a  writer's 
style  must  be  placed  race  and  education.  "  John  "  was 
a  Jew,  and  his  mind  was  disciplined  and  his  taste  formed 
by  study  of  the  masterpieces  of  Hebrew  literature.     The 


76  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

distinct  Hebraic  flavor  of  the  style  cannot  be  missed  by 
any  reader  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  An  instance  familiar 
to  all  is  the  use  in  dialogue  passages  of  dTzexpidr]  with 
ecTtsv  and  Uycov,  "  and  he  answered  and  said."  Yet  we 
must  not  overwork  this  explanation  of  phrases  that  strike 
us  as  exceptional  or  characteristic ;  for  "  Hebraism  "  has 
too  often  been  the  resort  of  lazy  and  slovenly  scholarship 
in  the  study  of  New  Testament  idiom.  Thus  i^^i 
Afiapziav,  "  he  has  sin,"  an  unmistakably  Johannine  locu- 
tion, is  probably  as  little  entitled  to  be  called  Hebraistic 
as  classical  Greek. 
^  We  need  be  in  no  apprehension  of  misapplying  this 
explanation,  however,  when  we  come  to  study  the  par- 
ticles and  the  structure  of  "  John's  "  sentences.  Hebrew 
has  few  particles,  and  "  John  "  uses  in  his  Greek  as  few 
as  he  possibly  can — to  the  equal  loss  of  writer  and  reader, 
for  he  deprives  both  of  the  finest  means  of  tracing  the 
subtle  connection  of  ideas  to  be  found  in  any  extant 
language.  The  words  expressing  relations  are  few  in 
the  Gospel,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Greek  offers  a 
rich  field  of  choice  to  a  writer;  and  these  few  are  so 
constantly  in  use  as  to  give  that  quality  of  monotony  to 
the  style  which  a  Greek  writer  would  have  done  his  ut- 
most to  escape.  "  John  "  is  without  resource  to  express 
those  delicate  relations  of  ideas,  those  almost  imper- 
ceptible transitions  of  thought,  that  a  classical  Greek 
writer  expresses  by  fiiv,  di,  "  indeed,  but,"  dpa,  "  now," 
ye,  "  at  least,"  //^'v,  "  however,"  roc,  "  then,"  and  the  like, 
which  are  either  altogether  absent  from  the  Gospel  or  used 
most  sparingly.  The  misuse  of  those  words  of  this  class 
that  do  occur  is  equally  noteworthy.  The  favorite  par- 
ticle is  o5v,  "  therefore,"  which  is  used  continually,  fre- 
quently as  an  equivalent  for  the  Hebrew  vav  consecutive. 
We  find  xac  doing  duty  for  every  conjunction  and  con- 
junctive adverb  known  to  a  Greek,  so  that  the  translator 


gospel:  plan  and  citaractertstics  y'j 

must  permit  himself — or  rather,  he  must  boldly  take — 
fgreat  liberty  in  rendering  this  word  into  English.  It  is 
sometimes  as  strongly  adversative  as  akld,  "  but,"  still 
more  frequently  it  is  concessive  (in  such  cases  best  trans- 
lated "yet"),  and  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  totz,  "at 
that  time."  So  Tva,  "  in  order  that,"  which  "  John  "  uses 
as  many  times  as  Matthew  and  Mark  together,  seldom 
introduces  a  true  telic  clause,  but  is  chosen  where  or;, 
"  that,"  would  better  fit  the  thought,  or  perhaps  ujaxt, 
"  so  that." 


We  have  seen  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  not  pri- 
marily a  biography,  but  an  evangel.  It  is  nevertheless 
an  account  of  the  words  and  life  of  Jesus — so  much 
of  both  as  will  promote  the  prime  evangelic  purpose.  But 
it  is  more  than  this:  it  is  an  interpretation,  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  any  of  the  other  Gospels.  It  is  the 
product  of  theological  reflection,  the  appreciation  of  a 
unique  character  and  life  by  a  philosophic  mind  that 
had  long  revolved  the  problems  suggested  by  such  a  per- 
sonality. To  be  read  and  considered  as  an  interpretation 
even  more  than  a  record,  it  is  not  the  less  a  record. 
At  least,  it  not  the  less  purports  to  be  that.  While 
the  writer  gives  us  a  clear  picture  of  the  personality  of 
Jesus,  with  touches  lacking  in  other  accounts,  he  quite 
as  definitely  discloses  himself.  He  makes  himself  known 
to  us  as  a  man  of  virile  fiber,  albeit  of  exceptional  lofti- 
ness of  soul.  His  ideas  are  sublime  but  few,  and  it 
sometimes  seems  to  the  reader  that  the  evangelist's  power 
of  expression  is  small  and  his  vocabulary  limited,  for  he 
says  the  same  things  over  and  over  again,  with  only  slight 
variation  of  phrase.  But  while  some  find  this  monoto- 
nous and  tiresome,  others  see  here  merely  the  pedagogic 
device  of  repetition.     When  we  call  Jesus  the  Great 


78  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Teacher,  we  are  not  merely  indulging  in  a  figure  of  speech 
^  behind  which  there  is  no  real  meaning.  He  was/one  ofl 
'.  V  v>  the  world's  greatest  teachers,  and  well  knew  the  value 
of  repetition.  And  "  JohrT^'  may  himself  have  added 
something  to  his  Master's  method,  as  a  result  of  his  own 
experience  as  teacher  of  young  Christians  at  Ephesus — 
if  for  the' moment  we  may  accept  something  of  the  tradi- 
tion regarding  the  later  years  of  the  apostle  and  deduce 
what  is  fairly  obvious. 

There  is  indeed  a  curious  mixture  of  simplicity  and 
depth,  of  ordinary  vocabulary  and  extraordinary  mean- 
ing, in  this  Gospel.  Many  of  the  sayings  here  attributed 
to  Jesus  are  more  pregnant  with  meaning,  more  spiritually 
luminous,  show  more  creative  potencies  of  life,  than 
anything  found  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
thrust  of  the  thought  is  more  powerful  even  than  Paul's — 
a  fact  that  has  often  escaped  notice,  because  of  the  ex- 
treme simplicity  of  the  sentences  in  which  the  thought 
is  clothed.  It  requires  no  careful  search  of  the  text  to 
discover  instances  of  this;  one  may  almost  select  at 
random  from  the  sayings  to  light  on  such  as  these : 

Unless  one  be  born  from  above, 

He  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  (3  :  3). 

God  is  Spirit, 

And  they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  (4  :  24). 

I  am  the  Bread  of  Life : 

He  that  comes  to  me  will  not  hunger. 

And  he  that  trusts  me  will  never  thirst  (6  :  35). 

You  will  know  the  truth, 

And  the  truth  will  make  you  free  (8  :  32). 

He  that  loves  his  life,  loses  it : 

And  he  that  hates  his  life  in  this  world 

Will  keep  it  to  life  eternal  (12  :  25). 


GOSPEL:    PLAN    AND   CHARACTERISTICS  79 

He  that  has  seen  me  has  seen  the  Father  (14  :  9). 

If  a  man  love  mc,  he  will  keep  my  word  (14  :  23). 

This  is  my  commandment : 
That  you  love  one  another, 
Just  as  I  have  loved  you  (15  :  12). 

I  pray  .  .  .  that  they  all  may  be  one, 
Just  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me, 
And  I  in  thee  (17  :  21). 

It  is  sayings  like  these,  in  which  the  Gospel  of  John 
is  peculiarly  rich,  so  simple  in  form,  so  inexhaustibly  pro- 
found in  significance,  that  have  always  made  the  book  a 
favorite  of  the  spiritually  minded  in  all  the  Christian 
ages,  and  they  go  far  to  justify  Luther's  epithet,  "  the 
truly  chief  Gospel."  If  any  one  would  know  the  heights 
to  which  the  mind  of  man  has  winged  its  way  as  it  has 
meditated  the  things  of  the  spirit,  the  great  problems 
of  the  here  and  the  hereafter,  let  him  read  the  Fourth 
Gospel;  and  if  he  would  know  the  depths  to  which  the 
human  mind  has  descended  in  its  attempts  to  evaluate 
these  same  spiritual  verities,  let  him  read  the  critics  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel.  'And  this  is  no  more  to  imply  that 
there  is  no  sound  and  instructive  thought  in  the  litera- 
ture of  criticism,  than  that  all  the  words  of  the  Gospel 
are  of  equal  value.  Any  literature,  the  greatest,  even  the 
book  that  the  reader  now  holds  in  his  hand,  to  be  read 
with  profit,  must  be  read  with  discrimination. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  CONTENT  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL  ^ 

TO  master  any  piece  of  literature,  no  single  method 
of  study  suffices.  At  least  two  methods  must  be 
pursued,  neither  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other,  since  they 
are  complementary.  One  is  to  study  the  whole  in  the 
light  of  the  details — a  method  commonly  called  exegesis. 
The  other  is  to  study  the  details  in  the  light  of  the  whole, 
and  is  often  called  exposition.  It  is  perhaps  a  matter 
of  no  great  importance  which  method  is  first  employed, 
provided  the  other  is  not  neglected;  for  there  can  be 
no  accurate  exposition  without  careful  exegesis,  nor 
truthful  exegesis  without  thorough  exposition. 


First  of  all,  after  the  Prologue,  we  have  a  group  of 
seven  events,  conceived  either  as  testimonies  borne  to  the 
divine  Sonship  and  Messianic  mission  of  Jesus,  or  as 
manifestations  of  his  "  glory,"  his  uniquely  perfect  char- 
acter, in  the  earlier  part  of  his  ministry.  The  Gospel 
begins  (i  :  19)  almost  as  abruptly  as  the  Gospel  of 
Mark,  with  the  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  and  certain 

1  The  author  acknowledges  that  he  has  found  much  help  in  the  under- 
standing of  the  Fourth  Gospel  in  the  writings  of  commentators  and  exposi- 
tors,  which  he  has  used  diligently  and  from  which  he  has  borrowed  much. 
These  borrowings  include  not  only  all  their  ideas  that  seemed  good,  but 
sometimes  their  exact  words.  These  have  been,  however,  an  apt  phrase  here, 
a  telling  clause  there — both  too  numerous  and  too  brief  for  it  to  be  practi- 
cable in  all  cases  to  acknowledge  them,  either  by  specific  reference  or  by 
quotation-marks.  This  general  acknowledgment  of  indebtedness  must,  there- 
fore, suffice.  It  is  not  claimed  that  any  considerable  part  of  this  expo- 
sition is  original;  the  author  only  hopes  that  it  is  true.  These  remarks  apply 
equally  to  the  expositions  of  the  Apocalypse  and  the  Epistle.  No  writer,  who 
is  also  a  student,  can  be  certain  that  anything  of  his  is  absolutely  original; 
what  he  fondly  believes  to  be  such  may  he  unconscious  reminiscence. 

80 


CONTENT   OF   THE    FOURTH    GOSPEL  8l 

of  his  disciples.  Knowledge  of  the  preliminary  work  of 
John,  and  its  results  among  the  Jewish  people,  is  as- 
sumed by  the  author.  This  work  has  created  such  a  stir 
that  the  national  authorities  can  no  longer  ignore  it; 
they  send  a  deputation  to  John,  who  demand  from  him 
an  account  of  himself  and  a  declaration  of  his  authority. 
He  frankly  confesses  that  he  is  not  the  Christ,  but  only 
the  forerunner;  but  to  their  demand  for  his  credentials 
he  gives  what  must  have  seemed  to  them  a  vague  and 
enigmatic,  if  not  evasive,  reply. 

On  the  very  next  day  (if  we  are  to  construe  literally 
this  note  of  time)  the  Baptist  bears  public  testimony  to 
the  Messianic  character  and  divine  Sonship  of  Jesus. 
The  baptism  of  Jesus  we  must  understand  from  i  :  32-34 
to  have  occurred  previously,  but  though  John  at  that  time 
recognized  the  Messiah  in  Jesus,  he  had  not  then  oppor- 
tunity to  bear  his  testimony.  He  now  announces  that  he 
has  beheld  the  divinely  appointed  sign  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  descending  upon  Jesus  in  the  form  of  a  dove  and 
remaining  on  him,  and  by  this  he  knows  Jesus  for  the 
Lamb  of  God,  for  him  who  would  baptize  in  the  Holy 
Spirit.  But  this  was  to  John  more  than  a  mere  sign  of 
identity;  he  recognizes  and  testifies  that  in  this  descent 
of  the  Spirit  Jesus  had  received  the  reality  of  which  the 
holy  oil  was  but  a  symbol,  and  was  now  become  the 
Anointed  One,  the  Messiah,  the  Christ.  With  this  formal 
public  attestation  of  his  official  character,  Jesus  begins 
his  ministry. 

With  John  on  that  day  are  two  disciples  who  are, 
like  him,  waiting  and  watching  for  the  coming  of  the 
promised  Deliverer.  Hearing  the  words  of  their  Master 
they  follow  Jesus,  and  at  his  invitation  spend  the  rest  of 
the  day  with  him.  What  a  day  of  days  it  was  to  them! 
How  every  incident  of  it  must  have  remained  photo- 
graphed upon  their  memories  to  their  latest  breath.    From 

F 


82  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

that  interview  they  are  the  devoted  followers  of  Jesus — 
they  become  his  disciples  as  they  had  been  John's. 

One  of  these  men  was  Andrew ;  the  other,  unnamed — 
who  can  he  be  but  the  author  himself?  Andrew,  in  his 
new  enthusiasm,  goes  in  search  of  his  brother  Simon, 
bursts  upon  him  with  these  words,  "  We  have  found  the 
Messiah,"  and  brings  him  forthwith  to  his  new-found 
Master  and  Teacher,  Jesus,  who  needed  not  to  be  told 
what  was  in  any  man,  beheld  in  Simon  not  only  the  man 
he  was,  impulsive,  headstrong,  fickle,  a  strange  compound 
of  bravery  and  cowardice ;  but  the  man  he  would  become 
by  God's  grace — the  leader,  the  pillar,  the  tower  of 
strength  to  his  brethren  and  their  common  cause — and 
gives  him  a  new  name,  expressive  of  this  new  character, 
Kephas,  Peter,  Rock. 

The  next  day  Philip  is  called  to  be  a  disciple,  and  at 
once  accepting  the  invitation  goes  to  his  friend,  Nathanael, 
the  Israelite  in  whom  there  was  no  deceit,  who,  though 
doubtful  at  first,  is  persuaded  to  see  Jesus,  and  recog- 
nizes him  for  what  he  is.  Though  we  are  not  told  this 
in  so  many  words,  we  may  be  sure  that  John  would 
not  be  long  in  finding  his  brother  James,  and  with  him 
six  of  those  who  are  to  be  the  twelve  closest  disciples 
have  already  heard  and  answered  their  call.  These  in- 
stances illustrate,  and  were  probably  recorded  to  illus- 
trate, the  eagerness  with  which  a  select  few  choice  souls, 
who  were  prepared  by  previous  spiritual  experiences  to 
understand  Christ,  instinctively  perceived  his  unique  char- 
acter and  mission,  joyfully  welcomed  him  as  one  to  whom 
they  were  drawn  by  irresistible  affinity,  and  confessed 
with  Nathanael,  "  Teacher,  you  are  God's  Son,  you  are 
Israel's  King." 

The  author  now  goes  on  to  relate  the  first  public  mani- 
festation of  his  "  glory  "  by  Jesus — the  first  "  sign  "  to 
the  world  of  his  character  and  office — the  miracle  of 


CONTENT   OF   THE   FOURTH    GOSPEL  83 

turning  water  into  wine  at  Cana.  What  the  effect  upon 
the  guests  may  have  been,  we  can  guess,  but  are  not 
told;  what  we  are  told  is  that  his  disciples  were  led  by 
tliis  manifestation  of  himself  to  give  him  their  whole 
trust.  They  had  already  recognized  his  exalted  character 
from  his  words  to  them;  this  deed  confirms  their  in- 
tuitions. It  show^s  Jesus,  as  the  Christ  of  God,  to  be 
the  source  of  life.  King  of  the  physical  world  as  of  the 
spiritual,  as  far  above  men  in  power  as  he  is  in  character 
and  dignity. 

After  a  brief  stay  at  Capernaum,  Jesus  goes  up  to  Jeru- 
salem. This  ministry  in  Galilee  "  John  "  passes  over  in 
almost  complete  silence,  not  because  it  was  in  his  view 
unimportant,  not  because  it  is  fully  described  in  the 
other  Gospels,  and  so  need  not  be  told  again,  but  because 
it  is  not  germane  to  his  purpose.  He  has  set  out  to 
tell  the  story  of  Christ's  appeal  to  the  Jewish  nation, 
and  his  rejection  by  its  official  and  spiritual  heads.  For 
the  same  reason  he  tells  us  of  but  one  incident  of  this 
visit  to  Jerusalem — the  one  that  exactly  fits  his  theme 
and  purpose.  Jesus  goes  to  the  temple;  he  is  outraged 
by  the  flagrant  abuses  that  have  grown  up ;  before  his 
authoritative  manner,  before  his  flaming  indignation,  the 
conscience-stricken  brokers  and  dealers  flee  in  dismay. 
This  assumption  of  authority,  this  manifestation  of  moral 
power,  were  strictly  appropriate  for  the  Messiah,  and 
were  a  tacit  assertion  of  his  official  dignity.  It  was  so 
understood  by  priests  and  Sanhedrin — for  by  "  the  Jews  " 
are  meant  either  these  official  representatives  of  the 
nation,  or  their  unofficial  religious  leaders,  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees — and  they  instinctively  assume  a  hostile  atti- 
tude to  this  new  prophet  and  teacher.  They  demand  of 
him  a  "  sign,"  that  he  shall  work  a  miracle  to  attest  his 
right  to  such  exercise  of  authority.  Jesus  refused  then, 
as  always,  to  perform  a  miracle  for  the  convincing  of  the 


84  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

hostile  or  incredulous.  Nor  will  he  explicitly  declare 
himself  to  be  the  Messiah,  and  thus  precipitate  the  fate 
that  is  finally  to  overtake  him. 

Though  no  other  acts  of  Jesus  during  this  visit  are 
narrated,  it  is  easy  to  gather  that  John  is  not  silent 
because  there  was  nothing  more  to  tell.  Other  "  signs  " 
that  Jesus  did  are  mentioned,  and  the  fact  is  recorded 
that  many  believed  on  him  at  this  time — which  things 
show  that  his  ministry  here  was  of  some  duration  and  in- 
cluded both  teaching  and  miracles.  That  he  made  a  pro- 
found impression  in  Jerusalem,  both  upon  the  people  at 
large  and  upon  their  leaders,  is  evident.  At  least  one  of 
the  leaders  was  favorably  impressed  by  the  teaching 
of  Jesus,  and  desired  to  know  more  about  him,  and  ac- 
cordingly came  to  him  for  a  private,  personal  conference. 
His  coming  by  night  may  have  been  due  in  part  to  a 
prudent  wish  to  avoid  comment — he  was  not  yet  an 
avowed  disciple,  and  may  not  have  wished  to  identify 
himself  too  closely  with  a  teacher  already  under  suspicion 
of  the  authorities.  Quite  as  probable  is  the  conjecture 
that  he  came  by  night,  because  Jesus  was  thronged  all 
day  by  the  people,  and  night  offered  the  only  opportunity 
for  a  private  and  prolonged  conversation,  such  as  he 
desired.  To  Nicodemus  Jesus  imparts  two  principles 
fundamental  in  his  teaching:  First,  that  his  kingdom  is 
spiritual,  and  consequently  natural  birth  gives  no  one 
entrance  into  this  kingdom.  Jew  as  well  as  Gentile  must 
undergo  a  profound  spiritual  change  before  he  can  be- 
come a  subject  of  the  King.  And  secondly,  he  makes 
clear  his  atoning  work,  his  redemptive  mission.  Because 
his  sacrifice  was  so  immeasurable,  his  exaltation  is  so 
matchless — the  way  of  lowliness,  of  service,  of  death,  is 
the  way  of  greatness,  of  glory,  in  his  kingdom. 

While  we  have  no  definite  information  regarding  the 
length  of  this  stay  in  Jerusalem,  we  may  plausibly  guess 


CONTENT   OF   THE    FOURTH    GOSPEL  85 

that  it  was  not  more  than  a  few  weeks  at  most.  It  must 
have  created  great  excitement,  and  even  exposed  Jesus 
to  the  danger  of  immediate  arrest.  We  may  read  these 
things  between  the  hues,  as  the  reason  for  his  going 
into  the  rural  districts,  where  there  would  be  less  ex- 
citement and  danger  of  interference.  He  continues  to 
teach  and  make  disciples.  His  success  was  so  great  that 
the  jealousy  of  certain  disciples  of  the  Baptist  was  roused; 
they  come  to  their  Master  complaining  that  he  is  in 
danger  of  eclipse.  John  again  bears  most  emphatic 
testimony  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  of  whom  he  has 
claiined  to  be  only  the  forerunner.  There  is  no  room 
for  jealousy  in  the  great  heart  of  the  Baptist;  he  knows 
that  his  work  is  nearly  done.  Henceforth  he  must 
decrease  and  Jesus  must  increase,  and  he  rejoices  that 
such  is  the  case. 

The  Pharisees  continue  their  opposition,  and  Jesus 
thinks  it  the  part  of  prudence  to  leave  Judea  for  a  time. 
On  the  journey,  at  Jacob's  well,  he  meets  a  Samaritan 
woman  and  converses  at  length  with  her.  Three  prin- 
cipal themes  are  found  in  this  discourse:  (i)  Jesus  de- 
clares himself  to  be  the  Water  of  Life,  the  source  of 
spiritual  power;  (2)  he  makes  clear  the  nature  of  genuine 
Avorship,  that  its  essence  is  not  in  time  or  place  or  ritual, 
but  in  the  relation  of  man's  spirit  to  God,  who  is  Spirit; 
(3)  he  first  explicitly  declares  himself  to  be  the  Mes- 
siah. What  he  would  not  tell  to  hostile  unbelief  at  Jeru- 
salem he  discloses  to  simple  faith  at  Sychar.  For  several 
days  he  tarries  in  the  town,  and  many  believe  on  him 
there.  It  is  easy  to  see  why  John  relates  this  episode :  it 
is,  in  some  respects,  the  most  striking  of  all  the  mani- 
festations of  the  "  glory  "  of  Jesus.  A  hated  Jew,  the 
power  of  his  character  and  teaching  are  so  convincing 
that  multitudes  give  him  their  entire  trust.  There  could 
be  no  more  emphatic  contrast  between  the  faith  of  these 


86  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

Samaritans  and  the  unbelief  and  rejection  of  the  Jews. 
To  make  that  contrast  as  vivid  as  possible  is  the  writer's 
evident  object. 

Which  ought  a  religious  teacher  to  regard  as  the  greater 
failure — to  elicit  no  faith  from  a  part  of  his  hearers,  or 
to  rouse  a  wrong  kind  of  faith  in  another  part?  In  Judea, 
in  spite  of  having  created  a  great  furore,  Jesus  had  on 
the  whole  been  coldly  received,  suspected,  rejected;  in 
Galilee  men  received  him  favorably  because  they  had 
heard  of  his  signs  and  wonders  at  Jerusalem.  Only  in 
Samaria  did  his  message  find  a  ready  acceptance  for  its 
own  sake,  for  its  intrinsic  worth.  It  is  perhaps  because 
of  this  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  men  of  Galilee  that 
"  John  "  elects  to  tell  but  one  incident  of  the  early  minis- 
try there.  He  evidently  chose  this  one,  not  because  it  was 
not  told  in  the  earlier  Gospels,  but  because  it  was  a  strik- 
ing manifestation  of  the  "  glory  "  of  Jesus,  inasmuch  as 
it  called  forth  faith  of  a  peculiar  quality,  such  as  he  did 
not  often  find  in  Galilee  or  elsewhere.  It  was  natural 
that  this  royal  officer  should  seek  Jesus — a  journey  of 
twenty  miles  or  so — a  father  in  such  case  will  leave  noth- 
ing untried.  What  was  not  to  be  expected  was  the 
officer's  instant  and  entire  confidence  in  the  mere  word 
of  Jesus,  a  confidence  that  next  day  he  found  to  be  fully 
justified.  Such  faith  was  peculiarly  grateful  to  Jesus. 
Every  man  would  rather  be  valued  for  what  he  is  than 
for  what  he  can  bestow.  The  faith  that  sees  in  Jesus  the 
chiefest  among  ten  thousand  and  the  one  altogether 
lovely,  is  surely  dearer  to  him  now,  in  his  exaltation,  than 
the  faith  that  sees  in  him  only  the  most  willing  and  boun- 
tiful of  givers — though  he  may  not  repudiate  the  latter 
sort  of  faith,  and  may  honor  it  more  than  it  deserves. 
In  his  first  "  sign  "  at  Cana,  Jesus  had  shown  himself 
lord  of  the  forces  of  nature  that  minister  to  the  needs  of 
man.     Now  he  shows  that  his  lordship  is  such  that  he 


CONTENT   OF   THE   FOURTH    GOSPEL  87 

can  heal  disease.  But  who  can  do  this  except  one  that 
has  power  also  to  minister  to  minds  diseased,  to  heal 
sickness  of  soul  as  well  as  of  body? 


II 

Here,  with  the  second  main  division  of  the  Gospel, 
begins  a  series  of  seven  distinct  and  direct  appeals  to  the 
representatives  of  the  Jewish  nation,  all  but  one  of  which 
are  made  in  Jerusalem.  These  appeals  are  arranged  in  a 
rising  scale,  a  crescendo  of  interest  and  power.  Four  of 
them  have  their  starting-point  in  the  performance  of  a 
notable  miracle,  or  "  sign,"  and  in  each  case  the  miracle 
is  followed  by  an  address  or  sermon. 

The  first  of  the  incidents  is  the  healing  of  the  lame 
man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda.  His  lameness  had  been 
caused  by  sin;  the  man  had  become  hopeless  of  cure. 
What  a  type  of  sin  and  its  results!  for  sin  is  paralysis, 
sin  is  the  maiming  of  all  our  powers,  sin  is  a  hopeless 
condition  apart  from  divine  healing.  This  healing,  which 
took  place  during  an  unnamed  feast,  was  a  sign  of  un- 
deniable power,  but  nevertheless  gave  occasion  for  a 
enlarge  by  the  Pharisees  that  Jesus  had  violated  the  Sab- 
bath. We  see  how  rapidly  unbelief  hardens  into  opposi- 
tion. In  his  discourse,  Jesus  shows  how  absurd  the 
charge  of  sacrilege  really  is,  but  this  only  in  passing ;  his 
main  purpose  is  to  announce  his  divine  Sonship  and  the 
proofs  by  which  his  mission  is  authenticated.  The  Jews 
rightly  understood  him  to  claim  equality  with  God,  as 
his  real  ground  of  justification  in  the  course  he  was  pur- 
suing. His  mission,  he  declares,  is  to  honor  the  Father 
by  doing  his  works.  God  is  the  source  of  Life,  but  he 
has  given  to  the  Son  power  to  make  alive.  God  is  Judge, 
but  he  has  committed  all  judgment  to  the  Son.  This  is 
not  inconsistent  with  the  declarations  of  Jesus  elsewhere 


88  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

(3  :  17;  8  :  15)  that  he  did  not  come  into  the  world  to 
judge  the  world.  All  hearing  of  the  gospel  is  necessarily 
a  judgment;  men  either  accept  the  truth  and  find  life,  or 
they  reject  it  and  continue  in  death.  A  testing,  winnow- 
ing self-judgment  of  hearers  is  inseparable  from  the 
teaching  of  truth.  In  short,  the  Son  is  the  revelation  of 
the  Father,  he  has  come  into  the  world  to  declare  God  to 
man.  This  mission  is  authenticated  by  three  lines  of 
proof:  (i)  the  testimony  of  John;  (2)  the  testimony  of 
the  works;  (3)  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures.  If  they 
really  believed  Moses  and  the  prophets  they  would  be- 
lieve him;  their  rejection  of  him  proves  that  they  did 
not  really  believe  Moses  or  understand  the  Scriptures. 
They  could  not  believe  Jesus  because  their  ideals  were 
earthly,  as  they  showed  by  preferring  the  applause  of 
men  to  tlie  honor  of  God. 

It  was  desirable  that  at  least  one  appeal  should  be 
made  to  the  Pharisees  and  leaders  of  Galilee.  The 
second  notable  miracle,  the  feeding  of  five  thousand, 
was  made  the  occasion  of  such  an  appeal.  In  the  syna- 
gogue at  Capernaum  Jesus  delivered  a  long  discourse, 
in  which  he  explained  the  spiritual  significance  of  that 
miracle,  and  made  clear  the  manward  aspect  of  his 
mission.  He  had  come  into  the  world  that  men  might 
have  life — had  come  to  satisfy  their  hunger  with  the 
Bread  of  Life.  He  was  himself  that  Bread — in  him  was 
to  be  found  the  satisfaction  of  the  spiritual  hunger  of 
men,  and  only  those  that  feed  on  his  flesh  and  drink  his 
blood,  that  is,  become  partakers  of  his  nature,  receive 
eternal  life.  To  a  material  mind,  the  figurative  way  in 
which  this  teaching  was  given  would  naturally  seem 
grossly  material,  and  so  we  need  not  wonder  that  the 
Jews  "murmured"  (discussed,  complained,  criticized  in 
a  hostile  spirit).  It  is  more  surprising  that  some  of  his 
disciples  declared  such  teaching  to  be  intolerable,  and 


CONTENT   OF    THE   FOURTH    GOSPEL  89 

that  from  that  day  many  who  had  hitherto  professed 
discipleship  turned  away  from  him. 

This  was  the  crisis  of  the  work  in  Gahlee.  Those  who 
sougiit  material  blessings,  those  who  had  political  aspira- 
tions, fell  away,  unable  to  receive  a  teaching  so  spiritual, 
caring  nothing  for  a  kingdom  not  of  this  world,  or  for 
food  that  did  not  nourish  the  body.  But  the  Twelve, 
and  some  others  doubtless,  remained  faithful.  With 
Peter  they  believed  that  Jesus  had  words  of  eternal 
life,  that  his  words  and  works  avowed  him  to  be  God's 
Anointed  One.  He  satisfied  their  deepest  spiritual  wants. 
Yet  already  Jesus  could  see  in  Judas  signs  of  that  de- 
fection which  was  to  come. 

The  remaining  appeals  to  the  nation  were  made  in 
Jerusalem.  The  authorities  generally  say  that  "  John  "  is 
the  most  precise  in  his  chronology  of  all  the  evangelists, 
which  is  true  in  a  sense,  though  it  is  also  true  that  "  John  " 
does  not  care  a  button  for  chronology.  What  he  shows 
us  is  that  Jesus  made  his  appeals  to  the  nation  in  con- 
nection wdth  the  great  national  feasts ;  partly  because  he 
had  greater  opportunity  to  present  his  teachings  at  those 
times,  partly  because  the  crowds  then  present  were  a 
protection  to  him.  The  Sanhedrin  did  not  venture  for 
some  time  to  risk  the  disapprobation  of  the  multitude 
by  arresting  him  during  a  feast.  Again  and  again  we 
are  told  that  he  would  have  been  summarily  dealt  with 
by  that  body  but  for  this  fear  of  the  people,  in  whose 
eyes  Jesus  was  a  prophet. 

The  feast  of  Booths  afforded  an  excellent  occasion  for 
teaching  the  multitudes,  and  making  an  appeal  to  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees.  Jesus  declined  to  be  moved  by 
his  brothers'  taunts  to  make  a  demonstrative  entry  of  the 
city  and  a  public  proclamation  of  his  Messianic  char- 
acter. A  few  months  later,  at  the  Passover  feast,  he 
did  this;  and  the  result  was  his  speedy  death,  as  he  had 


90  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

foreseen.  Not  to  provoke  such  an  untimely  fate,  while 
his  work  was  still  but  half  done,  he  now  goes  up  quietly, 
but  teaches  publicly  in  the  temple.  The  authorities  and 
leaders  were  astonished  at  his  teaching,  indeed  perplexed, 
because  he  had  not  been  a  pupil  of  any  rabbi  and  be- 
longed to  none  of  the  recognized  schools  or  parties.  But 
already  among  the  people  the  question  was  anxiously 
discussed  whether  this  teacher  were  not  in  truth  the 
Christ.  Enraged  by  this,  the  Pharisaic  party  in  the 
Sanhedrin  sent  officers  to  arrest  him,  but  these  were  so 
impressed  by  the  teaching  that  they  returned  without 
their  prisoner,  saying,  "  No  man  ever  talked  like  this !  " 

What  had  so  impressed  them?  A  discourse  in  which 
Jesus  declared  that  he  was  soon  going  whither  they  could 
not  come,  and  because  they  did  not  believe  his  teaching 
they  would  die  in  their  sins.  He  also  declared  more 
plainly  than  ever  before  his  divine  authority  for  his 
teachings :  "  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me.  He  has  not 
left  me  alone,  because  I  always  do  the  things  pleasing 
to  him." 

On  the  last  day  of  the  feast  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
becomes  more  emphatic;  he  promises  the  Water  of  Life; 
he  declares  that  he  alone  can  make  men  free.  There  is 
a  tone  of  unusual  sharpness  in  his  denunciations  of  "  the 
Jews  "  (some  rabbis  apparently  had  engaged  in  contro- 
versy with  him),  for  he  now  says  they  are  not  children 
of  Abraham  at  all.  The  Jews  could  not  receive  him  be- 
cause he  was  not  their  ideal  of  a  Messiah ;  and  they  had 
such  an  ideal  because  they  had  become  alienated  from 
God  and  so  misunderstood  the  Scriptures.  In  con- 
clusion, Jesus  makes  what  every  Jew  would  understand 
to  be  a  claim  of  divine  nature.  "  Before  Abraham  was, 
I  am."  They  attempted  to  stone  him  for  blasphemy. 
The  rising  tide  of  opposition  is  almost  ready  to  overwhelm 
Jesus — the  people  begin  to  join  their  leaders. 


CONTENT   OF   THE    FOURTH    GOSPEL  9I 

The  healing  of  the  man  bom  blind,  which  seemingly 
happened  during  this  visit,  deepens  the  intensity  of  feel- 
ing. It  is  symbolic,  like  all  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  and 
the  discourse  following  in  the  treasury  of  the  temple 
made  clear  its  meaning.  Jesus  is  the  Light  of  the  world ; 
he  has  come  to  dispel  the  darkness,  to  cure  the  moral 
blindness  that  sin  has  caused.  But  he  has  also  come  for 
"  judgment,"  for  testing  and  sifting  men.  Those  who, 
like  the  Pharisees,  are  not  conscious  of  their  need  of  heal- 
ing and  insist  that  they  see,  must  remain  in  their  dark- 
ness and  guilt.  The  Jewish  leaders  not  only  could  not 
receive  this  teaching,  but  they  had  the  blind  man  who 
had  been  healed  expelled  from  the  synagogue,  because  he 
proclaimed  his  trust  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ.  Persecution 
quickly  followed  rejection. 

Passing  over  the  intervening  time  without  comment, 
"  John  "  comes  to  the  feast  that  commemorated  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  temple.  Again  Jesus  makes  his  appearance 
in  Jerusalem  and  teaches  in  the  temple,  this  time  in  Sol- 
omon's colonnade.  "  The  Jews  "  challenge  him  to  tell 
frankly  whether  he  is  the  Messiah  or  not,  but  he  docs  not 
permit  them  to  force  him  into  a  premature  declaration  of 
himself.  Yet  he  gives  an  implicit  declaration  of  his  office 
and  work,  in  the  allegories  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and  the 
Door;  and  he  closes  his  discourse  with  the  announce- 
ment that  he  and  his  Father  are  one.  Again  the  Jews 
make  a  demonstration  of  stoning  him,  for  what  they 
regarded  as  blasphemous  words,  but  he  shows  that  the 
Scriptures  which  they  accepted  as  God's  word  contained 
precedents  for  such  language. 

Escaping  an  attempt  to  arrest  him,  and  judging  that 
the  excitement  and  opposition  had  become  too  great  for 
him  to  continue  his  teaching  in  Jerusalem,  Jesus  went  for 
a  time  to  Perea.  From  now  on  he  teaches  only  those 
who  come  to  him  of  their  own  choice  for  instruction. 


93  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Luke  has  given  us  a  very  full  account  of  this  part  of 
his  ministry.  Chapters  ii  to  13  of  the  Third  Gospel 
are  given  to  this  subject,  and  contain  among  other  things 
the  discourse  on  prayer,  the  parables  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  the  Unjust  Stew^ard,  and  the  Pharisee  and  Pub- 
lican, as  well  as  the  incident  of  the  rich  young  ruler. 
"  John  "  merely  says  that  many  came  to  him  at  that  time 
and  believed. 

This  Perean  ministry  was  interrupted  by  the  greatest 
of  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  The  key 
to  the  chapter  describing  this  event  and  its  consequences 
is  given  us  in  the  words,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life."  This  "  sign  "  again  discloses  Jesus  as  Lord  of 
all  things,  including  life  and  death,  as  the  one  in  whom 
alone  men  have  hope  of  eternal  life.  The  miracle  in  the 
flesh  was  wrought  only  to  turn  men's  minds  to  the  miracle 
in  the  spirit  that  he  was  equally  able  and  equally  ready  to 
work.  But  instead  of  this,  it  merely  embittered  his 
enemies  and  precipitated  the  long-preparing  catastrophe. 
Jesus  foresaw  the  consequences — the  final  rejection  of 
his  claims  by  the  Jewish  leaders,  who,  instead  of  being 
convinced  by  the  truth  of  his  teaching,  were  infuriated 
by  his  success  to  the  point  of  including  Lazarus  with 
Jesus  in  their  scheme  of  vengeance.  It  was  knowledge 
of  this  stifif-necked  opposition,  as  well  as  the  faint  faith 
of  his  closest  disciples,  that  made  Jesus  so  indignant  in 
spirit  as  he  approached  the  tomb  of  Lazarus,  and  drew 
from  him  tears  that  the  bystanders  incorrectly  interpreted 
as  evidence  of  his  great  love  and  grief  for  his  friend. 
He  was  not  grieving  for  the  dead  Lazarus,  but  for  liv- 
ing sinners,  whose  fixity  of  unbelief  and  malignant  op- 
position cut  him  to  the  heart. 

They  had  scornfully  rejected  him  without  taking  pains 
to  comprehend  his  teaching.  He  was  not  the  sort  of 
Messiah  they  were  looking  for,  so  in  their  eyes  he  was 


CONTENT   OF   THE    FOURTH    GOSPEL  93 

an  impostor.  But  they  greatly  feared  that  his  miracles 
would  lead  the  people  to  accept  him,  and  that  a  revolt 
against  Rome  would  be  the  natural  consequence — a  re- 
volt certain  to  be  unsuccessful,  and  to  be  punished  by 
a  still  further  loss  of  their  liberties.  There  was,  there- 
fore (granting  the  validity  of  their  premises),  but  one 
prudent  course  to  pursue:  to  suppress  this  false  Mes- 
siah before  worse  mischief  should  be  done.  Their  cul- 
pability lay  in  the  fact  that  they  had  not  even  attempted 
to  understand  Jesus  and  his  teachings ;  had  they  done  so, 
their  fears  would  have  been  shown  to  be  groundless. 
Jesus  was  put  to  death  in  complete  misapprehension  of 
his  aims;  but,  if  they  had  understood  him  better,  would 
the  Jewish  leaders  have  believed  in  him  more  readily? 
Nothing  warrants  an  affirmative  answer. 

After  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  Jesus  again  goes  across 
the  Jordan,  to  await  the  Passover,  when  he  will  make 
the  final  manifestation  of  himself  and  complete  his  work. 
At  the  proper  time  he  goes  up  to  Jerusalem.  Jesus  may 
have  made  no  appreciable  impression  on  the  Jewish  lead- 
ers, he  may  have  made  less  impression  on  the  people  than 
his  large  following  would  suggest;  but,  at  any  rate,  he 
had  a  small  company  of  intimate  friends  and  disciples  in 
whose  hearts  he  was  enshrined  forever,  in  whose  love 
and  fidelity  he  could  unquestioningly  trust.  His  friends 
are  the  measure  of  his  "  glory."  The  story  of  the  supper 
at  Bethany  is  therefore  told  by  "  John  "  for  its  own  sake 
and  in  its  proper  order,  while  the  other  Gospels  tell  it 
out  of  its  chronological  order,  merely  to  explain  the 
treason  of  Judas.  The  anger  of  this  unworthy  disciple 
at  the  rebuke  of  Jesus  no  doubt  precipitated  action  that 
he  had  perhaps  long  secretly  meditated. 

On  the  following  morning  Jesus  makes  his  entry  into 
the  city.  The  news  of  his  coming  has  preceded  him,  and 
disciples  come  forth  to  welcome  him.    If  there  has  been 


94  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

a  steadily  growing  unbelief  and  hostility  among  the  ruling 
classes,  there  has  also  been  a  rising  tide  of  belief  and 
enthusiasm  among  the  people.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
crowd  leads  them  to  make  a  considerable  demonstration, 
and  Jesus  does  not  check  them.  The  time  has  come  for 
him  to  declare  himself  unmistakably,  and  he  accepts  the 
title  of  Messiah  as  his  of  right  when  the  acclaiming 
crowd  confers  it  on  him. 

When  he  reaches  the  temple,  Jesus  finds  certain  Greeks 
desiring  to  see  and  hear  him,  and  he  hails  this  as  proof 
that  his  work  has  culminated,  his  mission  is  accomplished, 
since  his  fame  has  gone  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of 
Judea.  Henceforth  nothing  remains  but  to  fructify  by 
his  death  the  truth  he  has  been  teaching.  He  leaves  the 
temple  with  his  work  on  earth  completed.  His  few 
remaining  hours  of  life  belong  to  the  inner  circle  of 
his  disciples,  that  he  may  impress  himself  as  deeply 
as  possible  on  their  consciousness  and  prepare  them  to 
become  his  apostles  and  witnesses. 


Ill 

Eight  chapters — nearly  half  the  entire  writing,  exclu- 
sive of  Prologue  and  Epilogue — are  devoted  by  "  John  " 
to  the  last  manifestations  and  testimonies  of  Jesus.  The 
greater  part  of  this  matter  is  peculiar  to  "  John,"  and  even 
when  he  describes  scenes  and  events  that  are  narrated  in 
the  other  Gospels  with  sufficient  fulness  for  biographical 
purposes,  the  point  of  view  from  which  he  writes  is  so 
novel  and  the  end  he  keeps  in  mind  is  so  distinctive,  that 
he  is  invariably  led  to  give  fresh  incidents  and  illuminat- 
ing details.  We  see  this  in  the  very  first  of  the  seven 
subdivisions  of  this  part — the  account  of  the  Last  Sup- 
per. Of  the  supper  itself  "  John  "  says  little,  and  of  the 
institution  of  the  eucharist  he  says  nothing  at  all — an 


CONTENT   OF  THE   FOURTH   GOSPEL  95 

omission  that  at  llrst  seems  unaccountable  and  incredible, 
until  we  remind  ourselves  once  more  of  his  main  object 
in  writing,  and  then  we  see  why  he  tells  us  only  the  one 
incident  of  Jesus  washing  the  disciples'  feet.  This  was 
the  supreme  manifestation  of  Jesus'  love.  While  his  dis- 
ciples were  disputing  w^hich  should  be  greatest  in  the 
kingdom,  and  striving  which  should  have  the  seats  of 
honor  at  table,  he  performs  this  menial  service — not  to 
teach  humility,  as  is  so  commonly  said,  but  to  teach 
love,  as  he  himself  says  (13  :  i)  :  the  love  that  he  actually 
had  for  his  disciples,  the  love  that  they  should  have  for 
each  other.  (13  :  12-17.)  ^^  thus  says  to  them  in 
symbol,  what  he  soon  after  says  in  word,  "  This  is  my 
commandment,  that  you  love  one  another,  even  as  I  have 
loved  you." 

In  the  conversation  at  the  supper,  we  have  one  of  the 
purely  personal  touches  that  are  a  part  of  the  charm  of 
this  Gospel.  "  John  "  alone  tells,  as  he  alone  of  the  evan- 
gelists knew  at  first  hand,  of  the  byplay  between  him- 
self and  Peter  regarding  the  betrayer  of  Jesus.  For 
tradition  cannot  be  wrong  in  its  uniform  maintenance 
that  "  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  "  is  to  be  regarded 
both  here  and  elsewhere  as  no  other  than  John  himself. 

After  the  departure  of  the  traitor — smarting  at  the 
knowledge  that  his  treason  is  now  known  not  only  to  his 
Master,  but  to  at  least  two  of  his  fellow  disciples,  and 
burning  to  accomplish  his  evil  purpose  and  receive  his 
reward — ^Jesus  begins  the  most  tender  and  impressive 
of  all  his  discourses.  All  that  he  says  may  be  naturally 
classified  under  two  topics :  Union  with  Christ,  and  the 
Coming  of  the  Comforter. 

We  may  then  conceive  the  discourse  as  beginning  with 
chapter  15,  and  the  allegory  of  the  Vine.  (15  :  1-8.) 
From  this  Jesus  passes  to  the  New  Commandment  that 
he  is  about  to  leave  with  them   (13  :  34,  35),  and  the 


96  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

subject  is  continued  in  15  :  9-27.  Union  with  Christ,  as 
of  the  branches  with  the  vine,  a  union  whose  proof  and 
manifestation  are  furnished  in  their  mutual  love — this  is 
the  topic  of  the  discourse. 

The  other  topic,  the  Coming  of  the  Comforter,  to  which 
transition  is  made  in  15  :  26,  27,  is  continued  in  16  :  l-II 
and  16-33.  Then  we  return  for  its  further  discussion 
to  13  :  31,  whence  the  discourse  moves  on  to  14  :  29, 
to  which  should  be  added  16  :  12-15,  and  as  the  con- 
clusion of  the  whole,  14  :  30,  31. 

One  can  hardly  miss  the  purpose  of  the  author  in  so 
fully  repeating  to  us  these  discourses.  They  are  the 
crowning  manifestation  by  Jesus  to  his  disciples  of  his 
"  glory,"  his  unique  character.  Only  the  incarnate  Word 
could  thus  intimately  speak  of  his  Father ;  only  the  incar- 
nate Word  could  declare  that  "  he  that  has  seen  me  has 
seen  the  Father  " ;  only  the  incarnate  Word  could  speak 
of  "  the  Comforter,  whom  I  will  send  you."  As  these 
promises  gave  a  new  idea  of  their  Master  to  the  disciples 
who  first  heard  them — an  idea  that  never  ceased  to 
deepen  and  broaden — so  the  permanent  record  of  them,  it 
seemed  to  John,  could  not  but  give  readers  for  all  time 
a  truer  idea  of  the  real  character  of  Jesus  Christ. 

And  now,  having  finished  his  instructions  to  his  dis- 
ciples, Jesus  pours  out  his  whole  soul  to  his  Father  in 
prayer.  This  chapter  17  is  the  most  wonderful  chapter 
of  the  Bible,  for  by  admitting  us  to  the  privacy  of  his 
communion  with  his  Father,  our  Lord  has  taken  us 
into  the  very  holy  of  holies.  This  is  commonly  called 
"  Christ's  Intercessory  Prayer,"  and  the  title  is  so  far 
justified  as  this:  Jesus  does  in  this  prayer  make  inter- 
cession for  his  disciples,  present  and  to  be.  But  this  is 
to  name  the  prayer  from  a  single  element  in  it,  and  that 
not  the  most  important.  The  chief  thing  in  the  prayer 
is  not  Christ's  concern  for  his  disciples,  but  Christ's  rela- 


CONTEXT   OF   THE   FOURTH    GOSFEL  97 

tion  to  his  Father.  His  work  on  earth  is  finished,  he  is 
standing  (so  to  speak)  by  his  open  grave,  he  is  in  the 
very  article  of  death,  and  under  these  circumstances  he 
solemnly  commends  to  his  heavenly  Father  himself,  his 
work,  and  his  followers.  Far  more  appropriately  than 
to  the  prayer  given  by  Matthew  and  Luke,  the  name  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer  might  have  been  given  to  this  outpour- 
ing of  our  Lord's  inmost  heart.  The  other  prayer  should 
be  called  the  Disciples'  Prayer.  It  is,  of  course,  hopeless 
to  think  of  changing  a  usage  that  has  so  rooted  itself 
in  Christian  literature,  but  w^e  can  at  least  remember 
that  this  is  the  real  Lord's  Prayer,  and  so  think  of  it. 

And  as  to  its  substance,  let  us  note  that  it  is  largely 
communion  with  God,  soul  to  soul,  heart  to  heart.  It 
is  not  mainly  petition.  Petition  has  its  place  in  this, 
as  in  all  prayer,  but  here  its  place  is  distinctly  subordinate. 
Communion,  fellowship — that  is  the  essence  of  prayer. 
If  we  come  to  God  only  to  seek  gifts  from  him,  even  spir- 
itual gifts,  we  have  not  yet  learned  the  nature  of  true 
prayer. 

L"^pon  the  three  testimonies  of  the  arrest  and  trial, 
the  crucifixion,  death  and  burial,  and  the  resurrection, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell.  The  author's  purpose  is  evi- 
dent in  each  case ;  the  bearing  of  Jesus  under  this  supreme 
test,  the  proofs  of  his  divine  nature  that  he  continually 
gave,  correspond  to  the  general  theme  and  round  out  the 
account  of  the  incarnate  Word.  The  words  and  incidents 
that  "  John  "  alone  reports — we  may  note  especially  the  in- 
cident of  "  the  doubting  Thomas  " — are  such  as  precisely 
suit  his  purpose  to  let  the  greatness  of  Christ's  character 
speak  for  itself.  He  was  right  in  believing  that  Jesus  is 
himself  the  most  convincing  argument  for  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  as  generations  of  readers  of  this  Gospel 
have  discovered  and  testified. 

With  chapter  20  the  Gospel  proper  ends,  but  who  would 

G 


98  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

wish  omitted  the  Epilogue  and  its  personal  reminiscences  ? 
It  is  the  most  touching  manifestation  of  the  character  of 
Jesus  in  the  whole  book :  his  unbounded  love  and  mercy, 
the  forgiveness  that  could  restore  Peter  without  rebuke 
(save  one  delicately  hinted)  to  his  place  of  primacy  and 
influence  among  the  apostles. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  EPISTLES  OF  JOHN:  THEIR  LITERARY 
CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CONTENT 

NOTHING  can  be  plainer  to  one  who  deeply  and  can- 
didly studies  the  First  Epistle  of  John  than  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  a  letter.  It  is  most  unfortunate  that 
this  misleading  title  has  become  so  firmly  attached  to  the 
document;  for,  on  the  one  hand,  no  attempt  to  change 
it  could  have  the  slightest  prospect  of  success,  while,  on 
the  other,  such  a  name  obscures  the  real  nature  of  the 
book  and  has  led  to  no  end  of  misinterpretation.  The 
writing  lacks  every  peculiarity  of  letter-writing,  as  one 
may  see  by  comparing  it  with  the  Epistles  of  Paul, 
genuine  letters  if  any  letters  were  ever  written.  The 
literary  affinities  of  John's  writing  are  with  the  Wisdom 
literature.  With  this,  the  uncanonical  books  as  well  as 
the  canonical,  the  author  may  be  fairly  presumed  to  have 
been  well  acquainted.  These  affinities,  however,  extend 
only  to  literary  form.  In  spirit  this  "  epistle  "  is  unmis- 
takably, even  aggressively,  Christian.  The  lack  of  con- 
tinuity of  thought,  so  perplexing  to  those  who  persist  in 
regarding  this  as  epistolary  in  literary  form,  becomes  ap- 
propriate and  even  characteristic  in  a  composition  of  the 
Wisdom  order. 

This  is  not  put  forward  as  any  new  discovery.  The 
lack  of  epistolary  features  in  this  writing  has  always 
been  felt,  and  has  frequently  been  acknowledged,  by 
Christian  scholars  who  have  undertaken  to  expound  it. 
The  difficulty  is  that  they  appear  to  have  lacked  the 
courage  of  their   convictions,   and   could  not  persuade 

99 


lOO  THE   JOHANNIXE    WRITINGS 

themselves  to  treat  the  hook  as  they  felt  it  should  be 
treated.  For  example,  Dr.  Horatio  B.  Hackett,  one  of 
the  greatest  exegetes  that  America  has  produced,  in  the 
notes  that  he  used  to  dictate  to  his  classes,  said :  "  The 
ideas  in  the  Epistle  are  not  presented  with  any  strict 
method,  but  follow  each  other  with  a  freedom  character- 
istic of  a  familiar  letter."  The  candid  recognition  of 
fact  in  the  first  clause  is  as  clear  and  characteristic  of 
Doctor  Hackett  as  his  inability  to  break  away  from  tradi- 
tional conclusions  in  the  second.  Bishop  Westcott,  in  his 
excellent  commentary  on  the  book,  remarks :  "It  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  determine  with  certainty  the  structure 
of  the  Epistle.  No  single  arrangement  is  able  to  take 
account  of  the  complex  development  of  thought  which  it 
offers,  and  of  the  many  connections  which  exist  between 
its  dift'erent  parts."  But  after  this  judicious  comment  he 
proceeds  to  do  what  he  declares  to  be  impossible — he 
makes  an  extended  "  analysis  "  that  purports  to  show 
entire  continuity  of  thought. 

Doctor  Salmond,  in  the  Hastings  "  Bible  Dictionary," 
quite  agrees  with  these  distinguished  scholars  in  both 
particulars.  He  says  of  the  book:  "It  has  nothing  of 
the  formal  structure,  the  systematic  course,  the  dialectical 
movement  of  these  (the  Pauline  Epistles)  ...  It  takes 
the  form  of  a  succession  of  ideas  which  seem  to  have 
no  logical  connection,  and  which  fall  only  now  and  then 
into  a  connected  series.  They  are  delivered,  not  in  the 
way  of  reasoned  statements,  but  as  a  series  of  reflections 
and  declarations  given  in  meditative,  aphoristic  fashion." 
That  is  excellently  said;  it  goes  right  to  the  heart  of 
the  matter.  And  yet,  will  it  be  believed  that,  in  the 
very  teeth  of  this,  Doctor  Salmond  proceeds  to  give 
us  an  elaborate  "  Order  of  Thought,"  which  fills  two 
closely  printed  columns,  and  extends  to  nearly  two  thou- 
sand words ! 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content        ioi 

All  these  and  other  like  inconsistencies  would  disap- 
pear in  a  moment,  if  eminent  scholars  would  have  the 
courage  to  treat  the  book  as  they  declare  that  it  should 
be  treated.  We  must  set  aside  from  the  beginning  of 
our  study  all  notion  that  this  is  a  letter,  and  look  upon 
the  writing  as  a  tractate,  a  literary  production  of  the 
Wisdom  type,  whose  distinguishing  mark  is  not  continuity 
of  thought,  but  the  very  reverse.  In  other  words,  we  have 
here  a  collection  of  brief  essays  or  Thoughts,  more  or 
less  connected  through  their  mutual  relations  to  a  general 
theme.  A  brief  prologue  states  this  theme,  and  an 
equally  brief  epilogue  sums  up  what  the  writer  regards 
as  the  chief  things  established  by  what  he  has  written. 
This  gives  to  the  collection  a  quasi-methodical  air  that  it 
would  otherwise  not  possess. 

It  would  not  be  correct,  however,  to  say  that  the  book 
consists  of  disconnected  paragraphs,  but  the  connection 
of  its  component  parts  is  rather  that  of  variations  on  one 
theme,  than  the  logical  nexus  that  we  expect  in  a  letter, 
still  more  in  a  theological  discussion.  Sometimes  the 
closing  sentence  of  one  Thought  has  obviously  suggested 
the  opening  sentence  of  the  next ;  sometimes  one  para- 
graph is  found  to  be  a  development  of  some  idea  con- 
tained in  or  germane  to  a  paragraph  preceding;  some- 
times little  or  no  connection  between  parts  can  be  traced 
without  a  too  ingenious  exegesis ;  we  may  even  find  abrupt 
and  complete  transition  of  thought.  Such  phrases  as 
"  I  write  unto  you,"  which  are  not  infrequent,  and  the 
continual  use  of  endearing  address,  "  little  children," 
"  brothers,"  "  beloved,"  are  not  at  all  inconsistent  with 
this  view  of  the  literary  form  of  the  Epistle.  This  form 
of  personal  appeal  is  frequent  in  the  Wisdom  literature, 
and  is  well  known  to  readers  of  the  Proverbs  and  the 
Wisdom  of  Solomon:  but  the  form  of  address  in  the 
Wisdom  literature,  "  my  son,"  has  been  changed  to  more 


I02  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

distinctively  Christian  salutations.  There  is  as  little 
question  that  the  book  was  written  for  Christians,  as  that 
it  was  not  addressed  to  Christians.  The  Gospel  was  writ- 
ten to  make  believers,  the  Epistle  to  comfort  and  establish 
saints. 

The  full  meaning  and  significance  of  this  book  can  be 
appreciated,  it  is  believed,  only  as  it  is  interpreted  from 
the  point  of  view  above  defined.  But  there  is,  of  course, 
an  alternative  theory  of  the  literary  characteristics  of 
this  writing,  and  certain  German  critics  have  not  hesi- 
tated to  adopt  it — namely,  to  hold  that  the  author  at- 
tempted to  write  a  letter,  and  failed  for  lack  of  skill. 
Baur  saw  in  the  book  an  "  indefiniteness,"  a  "  tendency 
to  repetition,"  a  want  of  "  logical  force,"  that  gives  the 
Epistle  "a  tone  of  ^childlike  feebleness."  It  Is,  in  short, 
precisely  such  an  Epistle  as  John  might  have  been  ex- 
pected to  produce  in  his  dotage.  But  why,  one  asks, 
should  we  demand  that  every  writing  be  orderly,  logical, 
definite,  and  free  from  repetitions,  on  pain  of  being 
pronounced  childish?  It  is  the  dotage  of  criticism  that 
proposes  such  a  critical  test.  What  would  be  the  result 
if  such  a  canon  were  applied  to  literature  outside  of  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament?  Were  Epictetus  and 
Marcus  Aurelius  and  Pascal  in  their  dotage,  and  has  the 
world  been  wrong  all  these  centuries  in  accepting  their 
writings  as  belonging  to  that  small  collection  of  literature 
that  is  all  pure  gold?  S.  G.  Lange  also  found  in  the 
writing  the  "  feebleness  of  old  age,"  but  why  should  we 
not  rather  see  in  such  a  criticism  the  feebleness  of  the 
critic?  The  lack  of  Insight,  of  literary  taste  and  feeling, 
shown  in  such  criticisms  is  pitiful  rather  than  blame- 
worthy; and  there  has  been  a  plentiful  sufficiency  of 
just  such  Inept  ^vrltlng  in  the  productions  of  Germans 
famous  for  their  biblical  scholarship  and  historical  learn- 
ing.    One  need  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the 


epistles:    CIIAKACIEKISTICS    AND    CONTENT  IO3 

student  of  this  Epistle  who  cannot  feel  its  unique  power, 
cannot  discern  its  vigor,  vividness,  originality,  freshness, 
and,  above  all,  its  spiritual  insight,  ought  by  all  means 
to  devote  himself  and  his  powers  to  some  other  pursuit 
than  literary  criticism. 

Giving  to  the  theory  of  the  literary  form  and  char- 
acteristics of  the  Epistle  as  above  set  forth  a  provisional 
acceptance,  let  us  study  the  document  in  detail. 

Prologue.     1:1-4 

This  is  strikingly  like,  and  as  strikingly  different  from, 
the  Prologue  to  the  Fourth  Gospel.  It  introduces  us  at 
once  to  the  two  fundamental  ideas  of  the  writer,  which 
he  is  here  announcing,  a  Person  and  a  Fact.  The  Person 
is  here,  as  in  the  Gospel,  the  Word,  eternal,  source  of 
Life.  The  Fact  is  the  Incarnation  or  earthly  manifesta- 
tion of  this  Revealer  of  the  Father,  not  stated  explicitly, 
as  in  the  Gospel  ("the  Word  was  made  flesh"),  but 
implicitly  ("the  Hfe  was  manifested").  This  fact  has 
a  threefold  attestation :  hearing,  sight,  touch.  Thus  early 
the  apostle  makes  plain  his  antagonism  to  the  form  of 
Gnosticism  known  as  Docetism.  Jesus  was  no  phantom, 
but  the  Word  became  man  and  lived  a  real  human  life. 
To  this  the  writer  bears  personal  testimony.  And  the 
object  of  this  testimony  and  announcement  is  to  bring 
his  readers  into  fellowship  with  him,  and  so  into  fel- 
lowship with  God  and  his  Son.  In  such  fellowship  is  the 
consummation  of  the  Christian's  joy. 

The  theme  of  the  book  is  thus  plainly  stated,  and  its 
method  foreshadowed.  It  is  to  consist  of  a  series  of 
meditations,  through  which  will  run  these  two  threads : 
the  new  spiritual  life  that  has  its  source  in  the  eternal 
Word ;  and  that  fellowship  with  him  which  is  the  highest 
privilege  and  joy  of  believers. 


104  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

I.  God  is  Light,     i  :  5-7 

In  the  first  meditation  the  apostle  sums  up  again  his 
whole  message.  He  is  not  afraid  of  repetition;  he  knows 
how  useful,  how  indispensable  it  is  to  the  teacher;  but 
he  does  not  merely  repeat,  he  adds  something.  His  object 
he  has  already  declared  to  be  the  establishing  of  Chris- 
tian fellowship  on  the  basis  of  fellowship  with  God.  But 
fellowship  rests  on  mutual  knowledge,  and  it  is  there- 
fore first  of  all  necessary  that  we  should  know  God. 
This  is  the  message  that  makes  fellowship  possible :  God 
is  Light.  Light  is  a  higher  potency  of  God's  manifesta- 
tion of  himself  than  Life.  But  this  does  not  refer  pri- 
marily to  manifestation ;  it  designates  the  divine  essence ; 
it  describes  what  God  is,  not  what  God  does.  He  pos- 
sesses in  fullest  perfection  and  intensity  that  spiritual 
nature  which  may  be  typified  to  us  by  Light.  In  him  all 
goodness,  all  perfection,  dwell ;  he  is  absolutely  pure  and 
glorious.  In  verse  7  God  is  described  as  not  only  Light, 
but  as  "  being  in  the  Light " — that  is,  he  radiates  Light, 
clothes  himself  with  it  as  a  garment.  God  is  therefore 
self -communicating  by  his  very  nature,  and  imparts  him- 
self to  man,  and  man  is  able  to  receive  him.  As  flower 
to  the  sun,  so  man  made  in  the  divine  image  instinctively 
turns  to  God.  And  as  Light,  God  is  also  Life,  for  light 
is  the  fundamental  and  indispensable  condition  of  our 
existence.  Darkness  is  the  negation  of  light,  and  signifies 
the  contrary  of  all  that  God  is,  the  sphere  of  life  and  con- 
duct undivine,  opposed  to  God. 

Revelation  of  what  God  is  determines  man's  relations 
to  him.  Hence,  says  the  apostle,  if  we  claim  fellowship 
with  God,  and  yet  our  entire  life  is  in  a  sphere  outside 
of  God,  opposed  to  God,  we  make  a  claim  patently  false 
and  we  have  no  connection  Avith  the  divine  fulness  of 
truth.     For  truth  is  not  only  thought,  but  action;  not 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content        105 

merely  speculation,  but  character.  I  do,  therefore  1  am. 
A  Christian  life  is  impossible  where  there  is  no  corre- 
spondence between  profession  and  moral  action,  where 
faith  is  disjoined  from  ethics. 

And  hence,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  live  in  the  sphere 
of  God's  character  and  influence,  two  results  follow. 
First,  Christian  fellowship,  a  common  interest  and  life 
among  believers.  True  fellowship  with  God  is  here 
represented  as  coming  through,  or  at  least  as  being  proved 
by,  fellowship  with  men,  our  fellow  believers  in  Christ. 
This  first  result  is  a  result  of  relationship  with  others,  but 
there  is  another,  for  life  in  the  Light  cannot  fail  to  have  its 
effects  on  him  who  lives  it — he  is  cleansed  from  all  sin. 
Not  forgiveness  of  sins  merely — that  the  believer  receives 
at  the  moment  he  passes  from  death  to  life;  that  is 
justification — but  cleansing  from  sin,  sanctification.  The 
verb  used  here,  xadapl^o),  "  cleanse,"  is  in  the  present, 
not  the  aorist,  and  hence  does  not  signify  an  act  per- 
formed once  for  all,  as  in  justification,  but  a  continuous 
process,  little  by  little,  as  life  in  the  Light  continues. 
Sanctification  is  here  attributed  to  the  blood  of  Christ, 
blood  and  life  being  generally  convertible  terms  in  the 
Scriptures.  No  sanctification  is  conceivable  that  is  not 
the  eflfect  of  Christ's  power  of  life  working  in  the  be- 
liever who  lives  in  the  Light. 

2.  Our  Advocate,    i  :  8  to  2  :  2 

The  mention  of  sin  leads  to  this  new  meditation.  A 
question  naturally  presents  itself :  How  has  he  that  walks 
in  the  Light  anything  more  to  do  with  sin?  Can  he  be 
a  Christian  and  still  sin?  May  he  not,  should  he  not, 
expect  perfection?  Is  he  not  free  from  the  law,  and  may 
he  not  assert  that  sin  is  an  accident  of  conduct,  not  a  prin- 
ciple of  life  within  him?    The  question  is  a  perplexing 


Io6  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

one,  to  which  the  easiest  answer  is  a  general  denial;  and 
so,  the  antinomian  solves  the  problem  at  a  stroke:  the 
Christian  is  freed  from  the  law  and  cannot  sin,  for  with- 
out law  there  is  no  transgression.  No,  says  the  apostle, 
this  answer  is  inadmissible.  Denial  of  sin  and  of  the 
need  of  cleansing  is  an  evidence  that  one  is  not  walking 
in  Light,  but  in  darkness.  We  still  have  sin — a  phrase 
peculiarly  Johannine,  which  distinguishes  between  the 
sinful  principle  and  the  sinful  act,  which  latter  he  de- 
scribes by  the  verb  sin  or  commit  sin.  Denial  of  sin 
is  not  merely  falling  into  error,  it  is  entering  on  an  alto- 
gether false  and  godless  course  of  life.  We  know  the 
assertion  to  be  false,  yet  persuade  ourselves  that  it  is 
true,  and  so  we  lead  ourselves  astray  and  the  truth 
cannot  be  in  us  as  an  informing  and  transforming  power. 
Without  consciousness  of  sin,  there  cannot  be  even  the 
beginning  of  the  life  of  truth,  much  less  continuance  in  it. 
If  sin  thus  besets  us  (cf.  Heb.  12  :  i,  "  the  closely  cling- 
ing sin"),  how  shall  we  be  rid  of  it  and  of  its  conse- 
quences? By  confession,  says  the  apostle.  But  confes- 
sion does  not  relate  to  sin,  rather  to  sins.  The  denial  is 
made  in  the  abstract,  but  the  confession  is  to  be  made  in 
the  concrete ;  the  specific,  overt  acts  of  transgression  are 
to  be  acknowledged,  openly,  before  all  men.  We  are  in- 
deed conscious  of  sin,  but  we  cannot  successfully  contend 
against  it  as  a  principle  or  state ;  we  can  only  oppose  its 
manifestation  in  specific  cases.  Hence  we  can  gain  de- 
liverance from  sin  only  through  forgiveness  of  sins.  This 
forgiveness  is  rooted  in  the  character  of  God ;  it  is  because 
he  is  faithful  to  his  promises  and  righteous  that  he  will 
not  only  forgive  (that  is,  remit  the  consequences  of  our 
sins,  as  a  debt  owed  hirn),  but  will  in  addition  cleanse 
us  from  everything  that  is  not  in  accord  with  his  own 
character.  Both  the  last  verbs  are  in  the  aorist ;  this  may 
be  simply  the  aorist  of  completed  action,  the  writer  look- 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content        107 

ing  forward  to  the  end;  or  it  may  have  been  the  apostle's 
thought  that,  as  the  sins  confessed  are  specific,  so  are 
the  forgiveness  and  the  cleansing. 

But  a  man  may  recognize  the  true  character  and  per- 
manence of  sin,  and  yet  maintain  that  he  has  not  sinned. 
Pelagius  taught  that  some  men  keep  the  law^  of  God  per- 
fectly and  are  saved  by  their  obedience.  Not  so,  says 
the  apostle.  Such  denial  of  sin  is  blasphemous;  by  it 
we  would  degrade  God,  if  that  were  possible,  from  the 
realm  of  truth  into  that  of  falsehood,  since  we  proclaim 
that  he  has  dealt  falsely  with  all  men  in  treating  them 
all  as  sinners.  The  whole  of  God's  revelation  assumes 
sin  as  a  premise,  implies  that  normal  relations  between 
God  and  man  have  been  interrupted.  But  for  this  there 
would  have  been  no  need  of  God's  Son  coming  into  the 
world.  By  such  denial  of  the  thing  fundamental  in  revela- 
tion, all  possible  fellowship  with  God  is  destroyed,  and 
his  words,  as  spirit  and  life,  a  power  laying  fast  hold 
on  men  and  transforming  them,  have  no  place  in  our 
hearts. 

I  am  writing  these  things  to  you,  continues  the  apostle, 
that  you  may  not  sin  at  all  (the  verb  denotes  the  single 
act,  not  the  state).  He  is  not  merely  warning  them 
against  the  danger  of  converting  his  teaching  about  for- 
giveness into  license  for  continuance  in  sin,  but  is  rather 
aiming  to  produce  in  them  the  completeness  of  life  in 
the  Light.  In  spite  of  abiding  sinfulness  of  nature,  their 
purpose  should  be  not  to  fall  into  specific  acts  of  trans- 
gression. This  is  the  double  goal :  cleansing  from  sin 
and  freedom  from  sins.  Yet  it  may  happen  tliat  the 
Christian  will  be  carried  into  sins  that  contradict  the 
tenor  of  his  life;  it  will  be  possible  therefore  to  say  of 
him,  -^fiapTe,  "  he  sinned,"  but  not  A/iaprduec,  "  he  lives 
in  sin."  If  this  has  happened  to  him  who  is  walking  in 
the  Light,  let  him  not  despair,   for  we    (note  the  sig- 


loS  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

nificant  change  of  pronoun,  not  the  sinner  only,  but  all 
Christians)  have  an  Advocate,  Counselor,  Helper,  with 
the  Father.  This  word  Paraclete  is  the  same  used  by 
Jesus  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (John  14  :  16,  etc.),  but  this  is 
not  inconsistent  with  its  use  here,  for  everywhere  in  the 
New  Testament  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Both  the  humanity  and  the  deity  of  the  Mediator 
are  here  recognized  in  the  double  name.  Two  conditions 
of  successful  mediatorship  are  implied  by  the  apostle, 
both  of  which  were  fulfilled  in  Jesus  Christ:  (i)  He  was 
fitted  for  his  mediatorial  office  and  work  by  his  charac- 
ter— ^he  is  the  "  righteous  "  one  (corresponding  to  the 
"  righteous  "  God  of  1:9)  who  has  accomplished  per- 
fectly all  that  is  revealed  to  us  of  the  Father's  nature; 
(2)  the  case  advocated  must  be  in  conformity  with  the 
divine  righteousness.  This  was  accomplished  by  his  tak- 
ing away  our  unrighteousness.  He  is  himself  a  propitia- 
tion or  means  of  reconciliation  with  God,  in  behalf  of  the 
sins  of  all  men.  He  is  the  high-priestly  offering  through 
which  sin  is  expiated.  And  this  expiation  is  not  merely  in 
behalf  of  Christians,  but  of  the  "  whole  world  " — words 
that  have  the  broadest  possible  meaning,  which  it  is  not 
possible  to  restrict  by  any  honest  exegesis.  If  the  pro- 
pitiation does  not  in  fact  effect  the  salvation  of  all  men, 
the  failure  is  not  due  to  the  extent  of  the  propitiation — 
that  is  sufficient  in  worth  and  dignity  to  secure  the  salva- 
tion of  every  man  that  comes  into  this  world. 

3.  Obedience  the  Test  of  Love.    2  :  3-6 

The  apostle's  general  object  is  to  make  known  the 
Word,  that  men  may  be  brought  into  fellowship  with 
him.  He  has  just  declared  the  remedy  for  sin,  and  now 
proceeds  to  point  out  the  signs  of  its  efficacy.  How  are 
men  to  be  sure  that  they  know  God  as  Light  and  Jesus 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       109 

Christ  as  Advocate  and  propitiation?  What  evidence  can 
they  give  to  others  that  they  possess  such  knowledge? 
Mere  profession  is  nothing.  We  perceive  that  men  know 
God  hy  this  test:  they  possess  character  like  God's. 
Knowledge  no  less  than  fellowship  produces  assimilation 
of  character,  and  so  tends  to  manifest  itself  in  conduct 
that  accords  with  God's  nature.  For  the  commandments 
are  the  expression  of  what  God  is,  and  what  we  must 
be  if  we  are  in  fellowship  with  God,  who  is  Light.  To 
profess  fellowship  with  him  and  yet  not  keep  his  com- 
mandments is  not  only  obvious  falseliood — there  is  no 
correspondence  of  word  to  fact — but  shows  that  the 
whole  character  is  false.  Truth  is  in  a  man  when  it 
is  an  active  principle,  regulating  his  thought  and  action — 
this  cannot  be  said  of  the  man  whose  conduct  contradicts 
his  profession.  In  any  man  who  keeps  God's  word,  not 
his  commandments  merely,  but  the  spirit  of  the  law  as 
well  as  the  letter — the  love  of  God  has  been  perfected, 
because  love  is  the  fulhlling  of  the  law.  The  truth  is 
not  merely  in  him,  but  has  reached  its  consummation — 
love  is  perfect,  because  obedience  is  complete.  This  is 
true,  whether  "  love  of  God  "  is  objective  or  subjective 
genitive,  whether  it  means  the  love  that  God  shows  us, 
or  the  love  of  which  God  is  the  object,  or  has  the  still 
larger  sense  of  the  love  that  is  characteristic  of  God. 
This  divine  character  in  us  is  not  only  the  proof  to  others 
that  we  love  God,  and  are  walking  in  the  Light,  but  is 
the  test  by  w'hich  we  know  ourselves  to  be  united  to  him. 
It  follows,  therefore,  that  he  who  professes  to  abide  in 
God,  to  be  in  full  and  permanent  fellowship  with  him, 
must  live  the  Christ-life,  not  as  a  necessity  laid  upon 
him,  but  as  an  obligation  that  he  has  voluntarily  assumed. 
Not  the  mere  semblance,  but  the  reality,  of  godliness  must 
be  his.  This  imitation  of  Christ  is  the  infallible  mark 
of  the  Christian — that  we  follow  the  Christ-pattern  in  a 


no  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

life  of  humiliation,  suffering,  sacrifice,  is  proof  that  we 
are  in  union  with  him. 


4.  A  Commandment  New  and  Old.    2  :  7-1 1 

The  mention  of  the  love  of  God  naturally  suggests 
brotherly  love.  The  apostle  puts  his  teaching  into  a 
paradox.  The  commandment  is  new  or  old  according 
to  the  point  of  view.  Brotherly  love  is  no  new  command- 
ment, because  from  the  beginning  of  proclaiming  the  gos- 
pel, the  word  of  God  to  man,  love  has  been  the  law  of 
life.  The  gospel  is  nothing  else  than  a  message  of  love 
from  God,  and  its  end  is  to  make  men  love  God  and  their 
fellows.  On  the  other  hand,  Jesus  himself  calls  the 
commandment  a  new  one,  because  it  was  given  by  him 
in  a  new  form  and  with  a  new  sanction,  "  Love  one  an- 
other as  I  have  loved  you."  This  was  a  new  and  stronger 
incentive  to  brotherly  love;  resting  on  this  foundation 
and  enforced  by  this  example,  it  was  indeed  a  new  com- 
mandment. While  this  duty  was  enjoined  by  the  gospel 
from  the  first,  the  words  and  works  of  Christ  have  be- 
come better  understood,  and  so  the  commandment  has 
been  found  in  more  complete  accord  than  was  at  first  per- 
ceived with  the  facts  of  Christ's  life  on  the  one  hand, 
and  with  the  facts  of  Christian  experience  on  the  other. 

This  love  of  our  fellows,  perceived  to  be  characteristic 
of  their  Master,  must  be  realized  in  his  followers.  It  has 
been  brought  into  the  world  only  through  the  example 
of  Christ,  and  it  can  be  attained  by  us  only  through  fel- 
lowship with  him.  The  paradox  is  shown  to  be  justified 
by  the  change  that  has  been  produced  through  the  pro- 
claiming of  the  gospel  of  love:  Because  the  power  of 
evil  has  been  broken — it  has  not  yet  passed  away,  but  is 
now  in  the  act  of  passing,  is  being  drawn  aside  as  a  cur- 
tain— and  the  genuine  light  is  shining,  the  kingdom  of 


epistles:  characteristics  and  context       hi 

God,  the  reign  of  righteousness,  has  begun  to  triumph. 
But  whether  a  man  is  still  in  the  darkness  or  the  hght, 
whether  he  really  belongs  to  the  kingdom  of  God  or  the 
kingdom  of  Satan,  is  a  matter  about  which  he  may  deceive 
himself.  It  is  in  vain  for  one  who  hates  his  brother — 
not  his  neighbor,  merely,  but  a  fellow  Christian — to  pro- 
fess himself  a  member  of  Christ's  kingdom.  His  moral 
condition  is  the  exact  opposite  of  that  which  he  claims, 
and  doubtless  sincerely  believes,  to  be  his.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  that  loves  his  brother  is  not  merely  in  the  king- 
dom of  God,  but  abides  there  in  a  condition  of  stability 
and  certitude.  His  love  is  not  the  cause  of  his  fellow- 
ship with  God,  but  the  consequence  and  proof  of  that 
fellowship.  He  will  never  cause  others  to  fall — on  the 
contrary,  his  character  will  be  an  inspiration  and  help 
to  them — but  lack  of  love  is  a  prolific  source  of  offenses. 
Finally,  love  clarifies  the  vision,  while  hate  blinds  the 
eyes.  To  see  the  truth,  light  and  love  are  necessary; 
hatred  means  loss  of  the  very  faculty  of  seeing,  and  the 
life  of  the  hater  is  one  continual  stumbling  in  the  dark. 

5.  The  Writer's  Purpose.    2  :  12-14 

The  apostle  now  states  in  a  dift'erent  form  his  pur- 
pose in  writing  these  meditations.  He  puts  his  thought 
into  six  terse  sentences,  rhythmical  in  their  balanced 
form — Hebrew  poetry,  in  short — and  these  naturally  fall 
into  two  triads.  He  first  addresses  all  his  readers  by  the 
affectionate  title,  "  little  children,"  and  declares  that  he  is 
not  teaching  the  first  principles  of  the  Christian  faith,  for 
he  is  writing  to  those  whose  sins  are  forgiven,  and  know 
the  ground  of  that  forgiveness  to  be  what  Christ  has  done. 
They  have  therefore  already  made  considerable  progress 
in  the  faith,  and  he  is  desirous  to  lead  them  to  maturity. 
(Cf.  Heb.  6:1.)    They  have  already  experienced  in  part 


112  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

the  word  of  God,  they  have  known  something  of  the 
blessedness  of  fellowship  witli  Christ;  he  purposes  exhort- 
ing them  to  continuance  in  the  faith,  to  attainment  of 
nobler  heights  of  Christian  character.  He  then  addresses 
the  two  classes  into  which  they  may  be  divided — fathers 
and  youths,  the  men  of  experience  and  the  men  of  action, 
thinkers  and  soldiers.  Christians  are  indeed  one  in  the 
experience  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  but  their  other  ex- 
periences differ  largely  with  their  ages  and  circumstances. 
The  fathers,  or  elders,  the  more  mature  and  thoughtful 
Christians,  have  learned  to  know  Christ,  him  who  has 
existed  from  the  beginning.  This  knowledge  is  conceived 
as  the  fruit  of  past  experience  and  still  abiding,  not  as  a 
process  now  continuing — the  verb  is  aorist,  not  present. 
The  young  men,  the  possessors  of  soldierly  qualities,  vigor 
and  bravery,  have  conquered  the  Evil  One,  the  prince  of 
the  realm  of  darkness — not  that  their  victory  is  in  fact 
complete,  but  it  may  be  so  regarded,  in  view  of  what  they 
are  and  of  what  they  have  already  accomplished. 

The  second  triad  is  a  repetition  of  the  first,  but  with 
some  significant,  if  slight,  modifications.  The  most  strik- 
ing of  these  is  perhaps  the  change  from  "  I  am  writing  " 
to  "  I  have  w^ritten,"  as  if  the  apostle  would  have  said,  "  I 
am  writing  to  you,  yes,  I  assert  it  again,  that  it  is  for 
these  reasons."  The  general  address  is  also  slightly 
changed,  and  becomes  "  little  ones,"  instead  of  "  little 
children,"  but  more  important  is  the  change  of  reason :  I 
have  written  to  you  on  the  ground  of  your  Christian 
character  and  experience,  because  you  have  learned  to 
know  the  Father,  They  manifest  this  knowledge  by 
correspondence  of  character  to  profession,  by  exhibition 
of  brotherly  love.  There  is  no  change  in  the  address  to 
"  fathers,"  but  a  significant  addition  to  the  words  spoken 
to  young  men :  "  because  you  are  strong  "  (that  is,  they 
are  well  qualified  for  active  and  aggressive  service)  "  and 


El'ISTLES:    CHARACTERISTICS   AND   CONTENT  II3 

God's  word  abides  in  you,"  so  that  they  are  in  contact 
with  the  source  of  strength — in  these  two  facts  is  to  be 
found  the  certainty  of  their  victory. 

6.  Love  of  the  World.    2  :  15-17 

The  apostle  has  given  his  new-old  commandment;  he 
now  adds  another.  "  Love  not "  is  as  important  as 
"  love."  Love  determines  character ;  love  discloses  char- 
acter; hence  the  object  of  love  is  all-important.  Love 
of  the  world  and  love  of  the  Father  are  absolutely  in- 
compatible, for  the  world  is  everything  that  God  is  not. 
The  "  darkness "  of  i  :  5,  6  and  2:9,  11  is  the  evil 
principle,  the  world  is  the  sphere  of  its  working — both 
are  God's  antithesis.  Note  the  emphasis  achieved  through 
the  order  of  the  Greek  words:  "If  any  one  love  tlie 
world,  there  exists  not  [whatever  he  may  say]  the  love 
of  the  Father  in  him."  All  fellowship  with  God  is  neces- 
sarily destroyed  by  this  love,  and  the  love  of  which  God 
is  both  source  and  object  cannot  animate  and  inspire  one 
whose  moving  principle  is  love  of  the  world.  Because  in 
moral  and  spiritual  things,  as  well  as  in  physical,  no 
stream  rises  higher  than  its  source.  The  things  in  the 
world,  all  that  constitute  it  what  it  is,  do  not  come  from 
God,  and  hence  cannot  lead  men  to  God,  but  keep  them 
in  bondage  to  the  world.  The  desires  that  have  their 
source  in  the  flesh,  and  find  their  satisfaction  in  physical 
pleasure;  the  desires  whose  gratification  constitutes  the 
higher  mental  pleasures:  unregulated  mental  activity, 
unrestrained  intellectual  curiosity;  the  thousand  vices, 
whether  physical  or  mental,  that  are  rooted  in  self-asser- 
tion, arrogance,  pride — these  are  the  "  things  that  are  in 
the  world  "  and  make  the  love  of  it  incompatible  with  the 
love  of  God.  Not  only  so,  but  the  love  of  the  world  is 
as  different  from  the  love  of  God  in  its  end  as  in  its 
H 


114  THE   JOHAXNINE    WRITINGS 

source.  The  world,  the  order  of  things  opposed  to  God, 
is  passing  away — hke  a  screen  or  curtain  that  hides  God 
from  men,  it  is  pushed  aside,  and  those  whose  love  has 
made  them  a  part  of  it  must  vanish  also.  Only  in  har- 
mony with  God,  in  fellowship  with  God,  practically  evi- 
denced by  the  doing  of  his  will,  is  there  assurance  of 
permanence.  The  world  is  transitory,  God  is  vmchanging 
and  eternal.  He  that  does  his  will,  he  only,  abides  for- 
ever. 

7.  Antichrist.    2  :  18-28 

And  now  the  apostle  speaks  a  word  of  solemn  warn- 
ing to  his  readers.  The  "  last  hour  "  is  at  hand — not 
necessarily  the  immediate  end  of  all  things,  the  consum- 
mation of  the  age  and  the  final  judgment,  but  a  critical 
period,  a  time  of  change  and  sifting.  This  is  proved 
by  the  divisions  among  Christians  themselves,  and  the 
consequent  temptations  to  desert  the  faith  and  break  off 
fellowship  with  God.  "  My  little  ones,"  says  the  writer, 
addressing  his  readers  with  the  double  authority  of  age 
and  experience,  you  have  heard  that  the  "  last  hour  "  will 
be  preceded  by  the  coming  of  Antichrist — not  merely 
an  opponent  of  Christ,  but  one  who  takes  the  place  of 
Christ,  becomes  his  opponent  by  assuming  his  guise. 
Antichrist  is  therefore  he  whose  character  is  the  nega- 
tion of  all  for  which  the  name  of  Christ  stands.  But 
already  there  are  among  us  many  manifestations  of  this 
Antichrist;  those  who,  like  Judas,  have  been  numbered 
among  the  disciples  of  Christ,  and  for  a  time  were  indis- 
tinguishable from  them,  but  were  never  in  real  union  with 
Christ,  and  so  were  never  truly  of  us.  If  they  had  ever 
been  really  of  our  fellowship  they  would  have  continued 
with  us — their  apostasy  shows  that  their  fellowship  was 
but  a  sham.  Now  their  masks  have  fallen,  and  they 
stand  revealed  in  their  true  characters;  and  by  this  dis- 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       115 

closure  they  are  shorn  of  the  greater  part  of  their  power 
for  evil.  But  you  are  not  hice  them,  for  to  you  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  been  given  and  you  have  a  special  gift  of  dis- 
cernment. This  is  why  1  have  written  to  you,  because 
you  understand  the  truth  and  know  the  absolute  con- 
trariety between  falsehood  and  truth.  And  who  is  the 
liar  above  all  others,  if  not  he  who  denies  that  Jesus  is 
the  ]\Iessiah  ?  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  here  John  refers 
not  to  the  Jew,  but  to  the  Gnostic,  who  affirmed  that 
the  aeon  Christ  descended  on  Jesus  at  his  baptism  and 
left  him  before  the  passion,  and  so  denied  the  indissoluble 
union  of  the  divine  and  human  in  the  one  personality  of 
Jesus  Christ.  This,  says  the  apostle,  is  to  be  Antichrist, 
for  to  deny  the  incarnation  leads  inevitably  to  a  denial 
of  the  eternal  oneness  of  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

This  is  no  mere  abstract  dogmatic  disputation,  but  a 
most  practical  matter:  since  God  has  fully  revealed  him- 
self in  Christ,  and  in  him  alone,  one  who  refuses  to  ac- 
knowledge Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  of  necessity  loses 
knowledge  of  the  Father,  even  though  he  professes  to 
revere  him.  Conversely,  such  is  the  eternal  and  essen- 
tial unity  and  mutual  indwelling  of  Father  and  Son,  that 
he  who  acknowledges  the  Son  is  thereby  brought  into  vital 
relations  with  the  Father.  Therefore,  guard  yourselves 
from  every  declension  from  the  truth ;  hold  fast  the 
teaching  you  have  had  from  the  beginning,  and  you  will 
as  a  natural  and  inevitable  result  abide  in  fellowship 
with  the  Son,  and  therefore  with  the  Father.  And  this 
fellowship,  this  vital  relation  to  God  through  his  Son,  is 
the  promise  that  he  has  himself  given  you — this  is  life 
eternal,  the  final  scope  of  Christ's  redemptive  work,  the 
consummation  of  the  Christian  faith. 

I  have  written  these  things,  the  apostle  concludes,  as  a 
warning  against  those  whose  aim  is  to  lead  you  away 
from  the  truth,  away  from  God.    But  you  do  not  need  a 


Il6  THE   JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

human  teacher,  you  have  only  to  Hsten  to  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  has  been  given  you,  to  learn  what  is  true  and  what  is 
false,  and  by  holding  fast  to  his  teaching  you  shall  con- 
tinue in  the  divine  life  and  fellowship.  So  then,  in  the 
face  of  all  enemies  and  temptations,  constantly  endeavor 
to  maintain  your  fellowship  with  God,  in  order  that,  when 
Christ  shall  come  again,  we  may  have  the  boldness  of 
those  who  are  friends  of  the  Judge,  and  not  the  shame 
of  those  who  are  consciously  under  his  condemnation. 

8,  The  Character  of  God's  Children.    2  :  29  to  3  :  12 

The  writer  proceeds  to  contrast  with  those  whom  he 
has  described  in  the  foregoing  section — the  Pseudo-Chris- 
tians, the  Antichrists — the  genuine  Christian.  There  is 
but  one  test  by  which  he  may  be  known :  Character.  A 
single  act  may  mean  little,  but  he  who  lives  a  life  of 
righteousness  has  been  begotten  by  the  righteous  God. 
His  righteousness  does  not  make  him  a  child  of  God,  it 
is  the  consequence  of  his  sonship.  This  is  the  only  un- 
deceptive  mark  by  which  a  Christian  may  test  himself 
or  others.  The  amazing  love  that  the  Father  has  be- 
stowed on  us  is  manifest  in  the  fact  that  we  are  called 
children  of  God;  and  this  is  not  a  mere  name,  this  is 
really  our  character.  The  world  does  not  recognize  this 
character  in  us,  because  the  world  has  failed  to  recog- 
nize God,  whether  as  made  known  in  creation  or  through 
his  Son.  We  are  now,  already,  children  of  God,  and 
while  we  do  not  fully  know  what  we  shall  become,  we 
do  know  this :  We  shall  be  like  Christ.  The  day  of  his 
full  manifestation  approaches,  when  we  shall  see  him  as 
he  is;  and  in  consequence  of  that  beatific  vision  of  the 
glory  of  God  in  Christ  we  shall  reflect  his  glory,  we  shall 
be  transformed  into  his  likeness.  And  every  man  who, 
with    firm   trust   in    God,   looks    forward   to   becoming 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content        117 

like  Christ  must  strive  to  be  like  him  now — he  will  dis- 
ciphne  and  train  himself  to  a  life  of  holiness  and  avoid 
everything  that  pollutes.  The  character  of  sonship  has 
been  divinely  bestowed  on  the  Christian,  but  he  will  ear- 
nestly desire  to  make  the  ethical  relation  correspond  to 
the  spiritual  fact,  and  the  moral  habit  of  a  man  is  not  the 
mere  gift  of  God,  but  depends  also  on  his  personal  coop- 
eration in  righteous  conduct. 

Sin  is  in  its  very  nature  irreconcilable  with  the  Chris- 
tian life,  for  all  sin  is  violation  of  the  divine  law.  The 
very  reason  of  the  incarnation  and  the  redemptive  work 
of  Christ  was  to  deliver  man  from  sin,  not  from  punish- 
ment merely;  and  Christ  could  do  this,  because  he  was 
himself  sinless.  No  one  can  have  fellowship  with  him 
and  continue  in  sin  (note  the  force  of  the  present  tense 
in  this  and  the  other  verses  of  this  section)  ;  the  very 
fact  that  a  man  continues  in  sin  proves  that  he  has  not 
comprehended  Christ's  mission  or  come  into  real  fellow- 
ship with  him.  For  really  to  see  Christ,  truly  to  know 
him,  is  to  become  partaker  of  his  nature  and  to  be 
changed  into  his  image. 

Let  nobody  deceive  you  about  this:  He  that  lives  a 
life  of  righteousness  is  like  him  who  is  the  source  of 
righteousness,  he  has  the  mark  of  the  divine  sonship ;  but 
he  that  lives  a  life  of  sin  is  the  child  of  the  devil,  who  is 
the  source  of  all  evil.  But  the  Son  of  God  came  into 
the  world  for  the  express  purpose  of  destroying  the  devil's 
works,  that  is,  to  take  away  sin.  Every  child  of  God 
has  a  divine  germ  within  him,  the  permanent  principle 
of  a  new  life,  and  therefore  he  does  not  continue  in  sin. 
He  may  commit  sins,  isolated  acts  that  are  contrary  to 
the  whole  tendency  of  his  character,  but  to  live  a  life 
of  conscious  and  deliberate  sin  is  for  him  a  moral  im- 
possibility. God's  children  may  therefore  be  distinguished 
from  the  devil's  by  this  simple  test:  No  man  who  does 


II 8  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

not  live  a  life  of  righteousness  and  love  his  brother  is  of 
God.  And  for  this  reason :  The  whole  aim  of  the  gospel 
is  to  create  and  develop  love — this  is  its  first  message, 
this  is  the  meaning  of  Christ's  entire  life.  Take  warn- 
ing from  the  example  of  Cain,  who  showed  himself  to  be 
of  the  devil  because  he  hated  his  brother  and  slew  him. 
The  secret  of  his  crime  was  that  he  hated  righteousness, 
knowing  his  own  works  to  be  evil,  while  his  brother's 
were  righteous.  By  his  sin,  then,  Cain  preaches  the  duty 
of  brotherly  love. 

9.  Love,  the  Badge  of  the  New  Life.    3  :  13-24 

The  mention  of  Cain  and  his  hatred  suggests  a  further 
development  of  the  thought.  It  ought  not  to  astonish 
Christians  that  the  world  hates  them;  on  the  contrary, 
this  is  precisely  what  they  should  expect.  Only  the  world 
can  hate.  Hatred  is  characteristic  of  the  world,  because 
the  world  is  spiritually  dead.  On  the  other  hand,  love 
is  the  sign  that  we  have  experienced  the  change  from 
death  to  life.  Conversely,  he  that  hates  his  brother  shows 
by  that  very  fact  that  he  is  not  a  Christian,  but  is  still  in 
a  state  of  spiritual  death.  Hatred  is  the  sinful  inward 
state  of  which  murder  is  merely  the  formal  outward  ex- 
pression. So  our  Lord  taught  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount;  so  the  apostle  teaches  here.  Such  a  state  is 
incompatible  with  love  and  life,  which  are  convertible 
terms,  though  not  precisely  identical  ideas,  with  the 
apostle.  "  Life "  in  his  writings  always  means  some- 
thing other  and  higher  than  mere  existence,  and  "  eternal 
life  "  is  much  more  than  existence  prolonged  forever — 
"  eternal  "  connotes  an  idea  of  ethical  quality  rather  than 
of  duration.  Eternal  life  is  life  of  the  highest  type,  ful- 
filment of  the  loftiest  ideal  and  purpose  of  being,  the 
realizing  of  all  the  powers  and  possibilities  of  our  nature. 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       119 

How  can  the  man  that  hates  have  this  hfe?  But  if  love 
is  the  mark  of  the  Christian,  w^hat  is  the  test  or  standard 
of  love?  The  love  of  him  who  first  revealed  what  love 
really  is,  what  it  really  means — that  love  seeks  not  to  re- 
ceive, but  to  give;  not  to  be  blessed,  but  to  bless;  that 
love  means  unselfishness,  love  means  sacrifice.  We  love 
because  Christ  taught  us  that,  and  because  he  has  taught 
us  we  count  it  our  joy  and  privilege  to  repeat  his  self- 
sacrifice.  Except  a  man  renounce  self  and  take  up  his 
cross  and  follow  Christ,  he  cannot  be  his  disciple. 

This  is  a  lofty  ideal,  but  what  relation  has  it  to  daily 
duty  ?  Few  are  called  to  die  for  Christ,  but  all  are  called 
to  live  for  him.  There  is  a  test  of  discipleship  that  lies 
nearer  at  hand  than  the  cross,  and  is  not  less  searching 
and  decisive.  Here  is  our  suffering  brother — "  the  poor 
ye  have  always  with  you  " — and  he  who  loves  self  better 
than  his  brother,  he  who  has  the  ability  but  not  the  will 
to  relieve  his  brother's  distress,  gives  no  indication  that 
he  understands  what  God's  love  means.  It  is  not  the 
indwelling  and  all-controlling  principle  of  his  life.  Here 
is  a  practical  test.  We  are  in  danger  of  hypocrisy ;  let  us 
strive  to  avoid  the  mere  semblance  of  love,  the  making 
of  empty  professions,  the  glib  use  of  unmeaning  phrases ; 
let  us  beware  even  of  evanescent  emotions;  it  is  deeds 
that  count,  and  these  are  the  true  test  of  our  love. 

The  necessity  of  love  and  its  pattern  or  standard  hav- 
ing been  thus  discussed,  the  writer  goes  on  to  consider  its 
fruit,  confidence.  Here  the  thought  is  somewhat  ob- 
scurely expressed,  and  while  we  are  in  no  doubt  as  to 
the  general  meaning,  the  exact  thing  said  is  not  easy  to 
determine.  The  apostle  seems  to  say  that  confidence 
born  of  love  assures  us  against  the  condemnation  that 
our  own  moral  nature  pronounces  against  us;  and  this 
is  only  the  feeble  echo  of  God's  condemnation,  which  is 
the  mightier  in  that  it  springs  from  perfect  knowledge; 


I20  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

SO  that,  apart  from  our  s"ense  of  fellowship  with  him 
we  should  have  no  hope.  Or,  the  meaning  may  be, 
as  Bishop  Westcott  suggests :  *'  The  sense  within  us  of 
a  sincere  love  of  the  brethren,  which  is  the  sign  of  God's 
presence  with  us,  will  enable  us  to  stay  the  accusations 
of  conscience,  whatever  they  may  be,  because  God,  who 
gives  us  his  love,  and  so  blesses  us  with  his  fellowship, 
is  greater  than  our  heart;  and  he,  having  perfect  knowl- 
edge, forgives  us  all  on  which  the  heart  sadly  dwells." 

Furthermore,  because  of  this  sense  of  fellowship  with 
God  and  the  assurance  against  condemnation,  our  con- 
fidence finds  expression  in  prayer,  which  is  always  an- 
swered. At  first  thought,  this  statement  of  the  apostle 
seems  unqualified,  and  contradictory  of  our  frequent 
experience,  that  we  do  not  receive  what  we  ask.  But  this 
is  because  our  asking  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  prin- 
ciple that  the  apostle  adds :  We  receive  of  him  what- 
ever we  ask,  because  we  are  ever  seeking  to  know  and 
do  the  will  of  God.  It  is  prayer  offered  by  one  who  is 
in  harmony  with  the  will  of  God  that  is  always  answered, 
and  such  prayer  cannot  fail  to  receive  its  answer.  And 
do  we  ask  what  it  is  to  do  the  will  of  God?  to  "  keep  his 
commandments  ?  "  They  are  summed  up  in  one  word : 
That  we  trust  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  love  one  another. 
This  is  the  Christian  version  of  the  summary  of  the 
Jewish  law :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Again  we 
see  that  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law.  Obedience  to 
this  law  is  at  once  the  condition  and  the  test  of  a  life 
of  fellowship  with  God. 

10.  The  Test  of  the  Spirit.    3  :  24  to  4  :  6 

Thus  far  the  apostle  has  had  much  to  say  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  but  he  has  not  even  mentioned  the 


epistles:    CHAKACTEKISTICS    AND    CONTENT  121 

Spirit;  he  now  proceeds  to  speak  of  the  relation  of  the 
Spirit  to  the  Christian.  We  know,  he  says,  that  we  have 
fellowship  with  God,  because  he  has  given  us  of  his 
Spirit.  But  how  shall  we  be  certain  that  we  have  this 
indwelling  Spirit?  Caution  is  surely  necessary,  for  not 
everything  that  seems  or  professes  to  be  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  really  comes  from  that  source.  Many  spiritual 
forces  are  active  among  men;  many  profess  to  teach 
under  the  authority  of  the  Spirit ;  but  some  spirits  are 
lying  spirits,  some  prophets  are  false  prophets.  These 
we  should  not  receive  without  question,  but  we  should 
test  them  and  discriminate.  One  test  was  especially 
appropriate  for  those  to  whom  John  wrote.  Gnosticism, 
in  the  peculiar  form  of  Docetism,  was  already  rife.  The 
Docetists  denied  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  a  real  man, 
but  only  God  in  the  appearance  of  a  man.  God,  said 
they,  could  not  become  united  to  human  nature,  and 
certainly  God  could  not  have  suffered  on  the  cross — it 
was  but  a  phantom  that  went  about  among  men  as  Jesus, 
and  all  that  was  divine  withdrew  into  heaven  before  the 
crucifixion.  With  the  best  of  motives,  possibly,  these 
teachers  were  taking  out  of  Christianity  all  that  made 
it  valuable  to  the  world.  Therefore  John  makes  the  test 
of  the  spirits  the  confession  that  Jesus  has  come  in  the 
flesh,  was  a  real  man  and  no  phantasm,  for  no  man 
can  make  that  confession  but  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

The  Fourth  Gospel  is  the  Gospel  of  the  Incarnation, 
and  this  "  epistle  "  makes  the  incarnation  the  central  fact 
to  a  Christian,  confession  of  which  is  the  strongest  proof 
of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  power.  The  test  of  Anti- 
christ was  confession  of  a  vital  truth:  Jesus  is  Son  of 
God;  the  test  of  spirits  is  confession  of  a  vital  fact: 
Jesus  is  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  He  who  refuses 
this  confession  denies  the  characteristic  thing  in  Chris- 
tianity, the  true  union  of  God  and  man  in  the  person 


122  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

of  Jesus  Christ,  which  alone  makes  possible  and  authen- 
ticates our  fellowship  with  God.  This  is  to  be  of  Anti- 
christ, rather  than  of  God,  to  be  partaker  in  spirit  and 
purpose  with  God's  greatest  opponent.  This  test  sug- 
gested by  John  is  as  applicable  to  our  day  as  to  his ;  de- 
nial of  the  incarnation  is  rife  amongst  us  also,  and  now, 
as  then,  it  is  a  denial  of  all  that  is  worthful  in  Christianity. 
In  this  conflict  between  spirits  good  and  bad,  between 
teachings  true  and  false.  Christians  must  engage,  be- 
cause they  are  in  the  world  where  the  conflict  rages ;  but 
their  victory  is  so  certain,  because  of  the  power  of  Him 
who  dwells  within  them,  that  it  is  stated  by  the  writer 
in  the  present  tense,  as  a  thing  already  fully  accomplished. 
The  apostle's  thought  probably  is,  that  by  the  fact  of 
Christians'  turning  away  from  error  and  bearing  testi- 
mony to  the  truth,  they  have  already  been  successful 
and  have  conquered  Antichrist.  The  apostle  marks  off, 
by  a  sharp  antithesis,  those  in  whom  God  dwells  and 
makes  victorious  from  "  the  world,"  the  present  moral 
order,  in  its  separation  from  and  hostility  to  God.  The 
false  teachers  are  of  the  world,  and  their  teaching  has 
the  characteristics  of  this  ungodly  social  order.  Men 
listen  to  them  gladly,  because  the  teaching  agrees  with 
their  own  evil  character.  Here  is  the  contrast:  The 
world  listens  to  the  false  teachers  because  they  repro- 
duce its  own  thoughts ;  but  those  who  are  in  harmony 
with  God  listen  to  those  who  speak  of  the  things  of  God. 
Men  accept  or  reject  the  divine  message  according  to 
their  character,  and  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  neces- 
sarily a  sifting,  a  judgment.  The  desire  for  the  truth  and 
acceptance  of  the  truth  come  from  the  Spirit  of  Truth  ; 
and  rejection  of  the  truth  proves  the  working  of  the 
spirit  of  error.  All  judgment  is  self-judgment;  a  man 
affords  an  infallible  index  to  his  character  by  what  he 
approves  and  what  he  condemns. 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content        123 

II.  God  is  Love.    4  :  7-21 

In  several  meditations  tiie  apostle  has  considered  vari- 
ous aspects  of  the  conflict  between  truth  and  falsehood; 
he  has  warned  Christians  against  Antichrist  and  the  spirit 
of  Antichrist;  he  now  turns  to  consider  the  Christian  life, 
its  distinguishing  badge,  the  source  of  its  power,  its 
ground  of  assurance. 

The  badge  of  the  Christian  society  is  love,  which  has 
its  source  in  God  himself,  whose  inmost  nature  is  love. 
Our  love  of  the  brethren  is  only  the  reflection — only  the 
faint  reflection — of  the  divine  love  in  us.  The  very 
fact  that  one  loves  is  proof  that  new  life  has  been  im- 
parted to  him  by  God,  that  he  is  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature;  and  the  absence  of  love  proves  that  a  man 
has  no  real  knowledge  of  God,  no  likeness  to  his  nature, 
no  sympathy  with  his  purposes.  For  all  knowledge  is 
grounded  in  spiritual  likeness  to  the  one  known;  knowl- 
edge of  God  presupposes  possession  of  the  divine  char- 
acter. God's  nature  is  love.  Love  is  the  self-imparting 
faculty.  Because  God  is  love,  he  desires  to  impart  him- 
self, the  fulness  of  all  goodness,  to  his  creatures.  In 
our  case  God  has  demonstrated  the  character  of  his  love 
in  the  incarnation  and  the  atonement — in  the  supreme 
self-sacrifice  of  giving  his  Son  to  impart  life  to  us. 
Thus  the  mission  of  God's  Son  has  become  a  power  of 
God  working  in  us.  We  should  never  have  loved  God 
but  for  this  revelation  of  himself;  but  now  that  we  know 
what  he  is,  now  that  we  appreciate  what  the  gift  of  his 
Son  meant  to  him  and  means  to  us,  an  overwhelming 
obligation  rests  on  us  to  imitate  his  love.  The  love  of 
God  becomes  the  Christian's  constraining  motive;  it  is 
his  energizing  power. 

But  note  carefully:  the  apostle  does  not  draw  from 
this  the  conclusion  that  we  might  expect.    He  does  not 


124  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

say,  "  we  ought  also  to  love  God,"  but  "  we  also  ought 
to  love  one  another."  The  former  inference  we  may 
be  trusted  to  draw  for  ourselves,  the  latter  we  are  in 
danger  of  overlooking  or  forgetting,  and  therefore  the 
apostle  lays  special  stress  on  it.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  vital 
thing,  for  it  is  the  only  possible  proof  that  we  possess 
the  Christian  character  and  are  living  the  life  of  fellow- 
ship with  God,  God  is  spirit;  we  have  no  actual  vision 
of  him;  we  must  know  him  through  the  spirit  and 
in  the  spirit.  How  then  can  we  know,  how  can  we  prove, 
to  others,  that  we  are  in  genuine  fellowship  with  him? 
The  manifestation  of  love  to  our  brother,  says  the  apos- 
tle, proves  that  we  do  know  God,  that  he  dwells  within 
us,  and  that  the  divine  love  in  its  completest  form  is 
ours.  The  perfection  of  love  in  the  believer  results  in 
the  perfection  of  the  believer  in  love;  the  latter  can  be 
seen  and  recognized,  and  thence  the  former  can  be  safely 
inferred.  Besides  this  objective  test,  there  is  a  test  sub- 
jective: for  himself  the  believer  is  conscious  that  the 
divine  indwelling  is  a  fact,  because  he  knows  that  the 
love  filling  his  heart  is  not  native  to  himself,  but  can 
be  inspired  only  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

In  saying  these  things,  the  apostle  is  testifying,  not 
for  himself  alone,  but  for  the  Christian  society  as  a 
whole,  for  the  church  of  Christ.  What  the  immediate 
disciples  beheld  in  the  flesh,  Christian  disciples  will  be- 
hold by  faith  through  all  ages;  and  therefore  whoso- 
ever shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  will  enjoy 
the  life  of  fellowship  with  God,  because  only  love  can 
prompt  that  confession.  That  love  we  have  already 
perceived  and  partly  realized,  but  we  are  far  from  having 
exhausted  its  meaning;  we  wait  confidently  for  a  more 
complete  unfolding  of  its  significance. 

That  God  is  love  is  the  ground  of  our  redemption,  and 
source  of  our  new  life  and  knowledge;  it  is  also  the 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       125 

ground  of  inward  peace.  To  abide  in  God's  love  is  to 
share  his  nature,  to  know  ourselves  as  possessing  a 
Christlike  character,  even  in  this  un-Christlike  world. 
Therefore  we  feel  only  unhesitating  confidence,  perfect 
assurance,  when  we  think  of  that  supreme  test,  the  day 
of  final  judgment;  for  what  partakes  of  Christ's  nature 
cannot  fall  under  God's  condemnation.  We  might  feel 
fear  were  it  not  for  love,  but  love  and  fear  are  incom- 
patible. Fear  means  lack  of  fellowship,  implies  want  of 
harmony,  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  punishment,  and  there 
can  be  punishment  only  for  disobedience.  Those  who 
love  may  yet  fear,  because  their  love  is  imperfect;  but 
perfect  love  means  perfect  harmony,  perfect  obedience, 
and  so  excludes  the  very  possibility  of  fear.  Bengel 
states  the  progress  of  the  soul,  in  its  relations  to  fear  and 
love,  thus:  Varius  hominnni  status:  Sine  timore  et  amore; 
cum  timore  sine  amore;  cum  timore  et  amore;  sine  timore 
cum  amore — which  loses  some  of  its  point  and  all  its 
assonance  in  English :  "  These  are  the  varied  conditions 
of  men:  without  fear  or  love;  with  fear,  without  love; 
with  fear  and  love;  without  fear,  with  love." 

It  is  true  that  men  give  us  little  encouragement  to  love 
them,  but  God  loved  us  while  we  still  hated  him,  and 
by  that  love  won  us  to  himself  and  to  love.  This  is  why 
we  love  those  who  do  not  seem  to  wish  or  appreciate 
our  love.  And  if  we  really  love  God  we  shall  do  this,  for 
this  is  what  he  commands ;  and  to  say  that  we  love  God 
while  not  obeying  him  is  absurd.  Love  that  expresses 
itself  in  w^ords  only  is  not  love;  genuine  love  impels  to 
action;  real  love  demands  an  object  on  which  to  expend 
itself.  And  so,  if  we  cannot  love  that  which  is  visible, 
like  ourselves — namely,  our  brother,  who  is  also  a  child 
of  the  same  Father,  and  has  in  him  something  of  the 
divine  image — ^how  can  w^e  expect  our  professions  of  love 
to  a   far-oft,   unseen   God  to  be  believed?     It   is   im- 


126  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

possible  that  such  professions  should  be  true — our  con- 
duet  gives  the  lie  to  our  words.  He  that  loves  God  must 
love  his  brother ;  the  test  is  as  inexorable  as  it  is  obvious. 


12.  The  Victory  of  Faith.    5:1-5 

Not  content  with  what  he  has  hitherto  said  about  love 
of  the  brother,  the  apostle  goes  more  deeply  into  the  mat- 
ter and  discusses  the  foundations  of  Christian  broth- 
erhood. And  here  we  have  the  first  full  and  explicit 
mention  of  faith  as  the  means  by  which  we  attain  the 
new  life.  Up  to  this  point  the  writer  has  spoken  only 
of  the  love  that  the  new  life  produces  and  the  confession 
that  love  prompts.  As  love  brings  life,  love  will  neces- 
sarily accompany  that  life;  and  if  we  love  Him  who  is 
the  source  of  our  life,  we  shall  inevitably  love  all  that 
share  that  life.  As  the  apostle  has  said  before,  brotherly 
love  is  the  proof  of  the  love  of  God — indeed,  the  only 
proof  of  it. 

Brotherhood  is  founded  on  the  vital  relation  with  God 
into  which  we  have  come  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  his 
Son.  We  are  all  brothers,  because  we  have  one  divine 
Father.  That  we  should  love  our  brother  is  not,  there- 
fore, an  arbitrary  command,  but  a  moral  necessity.  This 
seems  like  an  inversion  of  the  logic  expected,  but  it  is 
evident  that  any  genuine  love  of  God  will  result  in  obedi- 
ence to  him,  and  he  has  commanded  us  to  love  our  brother. 
Hence,  it  is  equally  true  to  say,  "  We  love  God  because 
we  love  our  brother,"  and  "  We  love  our  brother  be- 
cause we  love  God." 

The  brotherly  love  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  is 
something  different  from  and  superior  to  natural  affec- 
tion ;  it  is  spiritual,  and  of  everything  in  the  spiritual 
realm  love  of  God  is  the  necessary  and  final  norm.  And 
here  let  us  not  fail  to  note  again  the  force  of  the  present 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       127 

tense,  in  the  zr^()u)fis.v,  "  we  keep,"  of  verse  3.  The  present 
tense  always  expresses  continuous  action,  therefore  the 
thought  here  is  not  the  mere  keeping  of  the  command- 
ments (the  aorist  would  have  sufficed  for  that),  but  the 
unflagging  and  vigilant  endeavor  to  do  the  will  of  God. 
The  commandments  are  not  grievous,  they  are  no  despotic 
enactments  whose  crushing  weight  is  destructive  of  all 
spontaneity  and  freedom  in  love  and  service,  as  con- 
sideration of  their  character  will  show.  They  are  hard 
only  to  him  that  resists  them,  whose  will  is  in  opposition 
to  the  divine  will;  and  so  only  to  the  Christian,  and 
through  divine  grace,  do  they  become  easy — "  my  yoke 
is  easy  and  my  burden  light."  The  proof  that  they  are 
not  grievous  to  the  believer  is  that  every  one  who  has 
become  partaker  of  the  divine  life  is  conquering  the 
world.  His  victory  is  not  yet  complete,  the  battle  is 
still  on,  but  he  is  conquering.  All  the  powers  that  oppose 
God  and  the  progress  of  his  kingdom  are  yielding,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  of  their  final  and  complete  defeat.  That 
which  makes  the  conquest  certain  is  faith.  To  "  be- 
lieve "  in  Christ  as  Son  of  God  is  with  perfect  trust  to 
commit  oneself  to  him  forever,  and  thus  to  become  one 
with  him  in  the  victory  he  has  already  won  over  death 
and  sin,  a  victory  that  is  moving  toward  its  final  consum- 
mation. Only  he  who  has  such  faith  is  conquering  or  can 
conquer  the  world. 

13.  The  Three  Witnesses.    5  :  6-13 

The  Christian  is  gaining  the  victory  over  the  world 
by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  confession  of  him  as  Son  of 
God.  The  apostle  now  considers  the  testimony  or  evi- 
dence on  which  such  faith  and  confession  are  grounded, 
and  by  which  they  are  justified.  And  here  it  is  worth 
while  to  consider  the  remarkable  prominence  of  this  idea 


128  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

of  "  testimony  "  throughout  the  Johannine  writings.  The 
Gospel  introduces  the  idea  in  the  Prologue,  goes  on  with 
the  testimony  of  the  Baptist,  gives  continual  testimonies 
throughout  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus,  and  ends  with  the 
testimony  of  the  evangelist  himself.  The  entire  Apoca- 
lypse, from  I  :  2  to  chapter  22,  is  treated  from  this  point 
of  view ;  every  vision  is  begun  with  the  words,  "  And  I 
saw."  This  "  Epistle "  begins  with  the  testimony  of 
the  apostle  to  what  he  had  himself  seen,  and  ends  with 
that  of  God  himself. 

As  grounds  of  certitude,  we  have  now  given,  first,  the 
historical  evidence  afforded  by  the  life  and  death  of 
Jesus  Christ.  He  was  shown  to  be  the  Christ  by  water 
and  blood;  these  revealed  the  nature  of  his  work  as 
Redeemer.  In  that  day  a  fountain  was  opened  to  the 
house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  not 
only,  but  to  the  whole  world,  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness. 
The  water  and  the  blood  must  represent  some  divine  act, 
or  some  divine  institution,  which  testifies  to  the  mission 
of  Christ.  They  must  be  at  once  the  pledge  of  his  son- 
ship  and  the  means  by  which  he  was  constituted  the 
world's  Redeemer.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  John 
sees,  and  means  us  to  see,  in  this  "  healing  flood  "  the 
symbols  of  life  and  death,  atonement  and  regeneration, 
the  double  pledge  for  man's  redemption  and  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins.  The  propitiation  for  our  sins  wrought 
by  Christ's  death  is  symbolized  by  the  blood;  the  new 
life  cleansed  from  sin  that  comes  to  us  through  him  is 
signified  by  the  water.  The  emphatic  repetition,  "  not 
in  the  water  only,  but  in  the  water  and  the  blood,"  prob- 
ably indicates  that  the  apostle  had  in  mind  an  error,  early 
prevalent  in  the  church,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  descended 
on  Jesus  at  his  baptism  and  made  him  Son  of  God,  but 
left  him  before  his  passion,  so  that  a  mere  man  died  on 
the  cross. 


epistles:  characteristics  and  content       129 

We  have  also,  says  the  apostle,  the  testimony  of  the 
Spirit,  because  he  is  Truth,  and  cannot  but  testify  con- 
cerning the  mission  and  work  of  Christ.  The  writer  does 
not  here  pause  to  discuss  the  content  of  this  testimony, 
or  the  way  in  which  it  is  given,  or  the  person  to  whom 
the  Spirit  testifies.  He  has  spoken  with  sufficient  ful- 
ness on  these  points  before,  and  now  another  thought 
causes  him  to  hasten  onward.  We  have  in  reality  three 
witnesses,  he  says,  the  Spirit,  the  water,  and  the  blood — 
the  inward  spiritual  assurance  and  the  double  historical 
attestation.  This  fulness  of  evidence  warrants  our  cer- 
tainty concerning  that  which  the  three  witnesses  with 
one  voice  affirm.  "  These  three  are  for  the  one  "  is  not 
a  statement  of  their  mere  unanimity,  but  means  that 
their  independent  testimonies  converge  on  the  one  gospel 
of  Christ.  Two  witnesses  were,  under  both  Roman  and 
Jewish  law,  sufficient  to  establish  a  fact,  but  here  are 
three;  and  these  three  are  living,  continuous  witnesses, 
as  is  implied  in  the  present  participle,  fiaprupouvre!:. 

From  the  character  of  the  witnesses  and  their  testi- 
mony, the  apostle  passes  to  consider  its  effectiveness.  It 
is  first  of  all  a  divine  testimony.  God  himself  has  testi- 
fied concerning  his  Son,  and  if  we  receive  human  testi- 
mony as  credible,  how  much  more  is  that  of  God  to  be 
accepted  as  credible,  authoritative,  and  convincing.  The 
apostle  may  here  refer  to  the  audible  voice  in  which  God 
several  times  attested  the  divine  mission  of  Christ,  ac- 
cording to  the  Gospels ;  or  he  may  mean  that  God  testi- 
fied through  the  water  and  blood.  Secondly,  there  is  a 
human  witness,  the  consciousness  that  the  believer  has 
the  presence  and  testimony  of  the  Spirit.  No  one  who  has 
experienced  the  regenerating  power  of  the  Spirit  can  have 
any  doubt  of  the  divine  mission  and  nature  of  Christ. 
Unbelief  is  essentially  denial  of  the  testimony  of  God — in 
efl'ect  an  accusation  that  he  is  false  and  untrustworthy 
I 


130  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

in  his  dealings  with  men.  Above  all,  we  have  the  witness 
of  the  eternal  life,  a  life  of  union  with  the  Son  of  God, 
its  sole  source.  To  impart  this  life  was  the  object  for 
which  Christ  came,  and  the  fact  that  we  possess  this  life 
is  the  supreme  evidence  that  his  coming  was  not  in  vain. 
To  establish  the  certainty  of  this  in  the  hearts  of  believers, 
the  apostle  declares,  is  the  object  of  his  writing  these 
meditations. 

14.  Prayer.    5  :  14-17 

If  this  certainty  of  fellowship  with  God  through  his 
Son  becomes  established  in  us,  we  shall  be  in  perfect 
harmony  with  God's  will.  Therefore  we  shall  have  bold- 
ness with  him,  knowing  that  all  our  petitions  will  be 
heard — and  not  merely  heard,  for  our  confidence  is  so 
great  that  we  shall  regard  as  already  ours  whatever  we 
ask,  because  the  believer  will  not  make  his  own  any 
desire  contrary  to  the  will  of  God.  The  believer's  char- 
acteristic use  of  this  freedom  of  access  to  God  in  prayer 
will  not  be  in  petitions  for  himself,  but  in  intercessions 
for  others — he  will  pray  for  his  brother  man  whom  he 
sees  falling  into  sin.  This  is  the  highest  expression  of 
that  brotherly  love  to  which  the  apostle  has  been  con- 
tinually exhorting.  But  it  seems  to  be  taught  plainly 
that  there  is  a  kind  of  sinning  for  which  it  would  be 
vain  to  pray,  for  which  believers  would  have  no  desire 
to  pray.  The  distinction  is  between  "  sin  unto  death  "  and 
a  "  sin  not  unto  death,"  and  it  is  clearly  implied  that 
the  believer  can  recognize  and  distinguish  between  them, 
else  he  would  not  decline  to  pray  for  the  latter.  The 
apostle  does  not  further  define  either  sin,  perhaps  because 
exact  definition  is  impossible.  Certainly  the  distinction 
that  the  church  early  came  to  make  between  "  mortal " 
and  "  venial  "  sins  has  no  justification  here.  "  Death  " 
must  have  here,  as  so  often  in  the  Scriptures,  a  spiritual 


epistles:  characteristics  a\d  content        131 

meaning,  not  the  physical.  "  A  sin  unto  death  "  there- 
fore must  be,  not  some  specilic  and  horribly  wicked 
transgression,  but  any  form  of  sinning  that  totally  sepa- 
rates one  from  Christ.  Nothing  can  be  meant  but  such 
sin  as  proves  that  the  sinner  has  finally  and  irrevocably 
turned  away  from  Christ,  the  sole  source  of  life  and 
fellowship  with  God,  and  thereby  placed  himself  beyond 
the  pale  of  prayer  or  any  good  influence.  He  has  hard- 
ened his  heart  against  God  and  chosen  death  rather  than 
life.  No  man's  case  is  hopeless,  whatever  sins  he  has 
committed,  until  he  has  said  with  Satan,  "  Evil,  be  thou 
my  good,"  until  he  sins  from  the  pure  love  of  sinning. 
For  such  it  will  be  vain  to  pray.  There  is  sin,  however, 
that  falls  short  of  this,  and  all  unrighteousijess  is  to  be 
reprehended  and  renounced.  From  such  sin  we  are  to 
pray  that  our  brother  may  be  delivered,  and  this  prayer, 
being  according  to  the  will  of  God,  will  be  granted.  The 
lesson  is,  therefore,  to  pray  more  frequently  and  earnestly 
and  with  more  confident  assurance  for  our  brother's  de- 
liverance from  sin. 

Epilogue 

In  three  closing  sentences,  the  apostle  sums  up  the 
grounds  of  Christian  assurance — the  things  that  we  do 
not  merely  believe,  but  know,  because  they  are  incon- 
testable facts  of  experience. 

We  know  that  the  new  life  and  sin  are  incompatible, 
and  that  whoever  has  received  the  new  life  from  God 
hates  sin,  does  not  habitually  do  that  which  is  sinful, 
scrupulously  guards  his  conduct,  and  is  free  from  the 
bondage  in  which  the  Evil  One  once  held  him. 

We  know  that  the  source  of  our  life  is  God,  and  that 
human  society  is  wholly  under  the  dominion  of  the 
Evil  One ;  he  has  more  than  "  laid  hold  "  on  it ;  it  "  lies 
in  "  him,  he  has  such  perfect  possession  that  he  who  says 


132  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

"  world  "  says  "  devil."  John  was  speaking  of  die  Roman 
world,  as  he  knew  it,  but  is  even  a  so-called  Christian 
nation  much  better  ? 

We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  has  come,  that  his  mis- 
sion and  work  is  a  permanent  fact,  and  that  he  has 
endowed  us  with  the  power  of  discerning  truth.  And 
the  ground  of  that  discernment  is,  that  we  are  in  fel- 
lowship with  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  Truth  and  Life. 

The  apostle  adds  a  last  warning,  both  affectionate  and 
solemn :  "  Guard  yourselves  from  idols  " — not  the  mere 
images  of  false  gods,  but  from  all  thoughts,  ideals,  teach- 
ings, innumerable  inducements  on  every  side,  that  will 
lead  the  believer  to  turn  from  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and 
give  his  faith  and  love  and  service  to  false  objects  of 
devotion.  It  is  the  fitting  end  to  these  deeply  spiritual 
meditations. 

The  Second  and  Third  Epistles  of  John  demand  no 
extended  treatment.  They  differ  from  the  First,  in  being 
really  epistolary  in  form,  but  their  ideas  and  style  are 
the  same.  So  great  is  this  similarity  that  there  is 
practically  no  dissent  from  the  opinion  that  they  are  by 
the  author  of  the  First  Epistle.  The  only  serious  alter- 
native is  that  they  are  the  work  of  a  later  writer,  who 
imitated  so  successfully  the  style  and  thought  of  the 
First  Epistle  as  to  deceive  generations  of  Christians ; 
but  no  adequate  motive  for  such  a  forgery  has  ever  been 
suggested.  Neither  of  the  Epistles,  nor  both  combined, 
can  be  said  to  make  the  arguments  and  conclusions  based 
on  the  First  Epistle  stronger  or  weaker.  They  are  so 
brief  and  uncomplex  that  to  summarize  their  content 
would  be  waste  labor — It  is  enough  to  refer  the  reader 
to  the  translation  in  Part  II. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  JOHANNIXE  PROBLEM :  THE  EXTERNAL 
TESTIMONY 


FOR  three  generations  the  New  Testament  has  suf- 
fered many  things  because  of  the  critics.  No  book 
has  been  exempt,  but  perhaps  the  worst  has  befallen 
those  writings  that  had  been  ascribed  by  the  unbroken 
tradition  of  Christendom  to  the  apostle  John.  Since 
the  days  of  Baur  it  has  been  stoutly  maintained  that  the 
Fourth  Gospel  cannot  be  Johannine.  With  that  Gospel, 
the  Epistles  were  also  denied  to  be  the  work  of  the 
apostle.  For  a  time  it  was  conceded  that  John  the  apostle 
might  be  accepted  as  the  author  of  the  Apocalypse,  but 
criticism  has  now  resolved  that  book  into  numerous  frag- 
ments, and  concluded  that  though  the  book  may  have 
had  an  editor,  it  had,  properly  speaking,  no  author. 

These  conclusions,  so  completely  contradicting  and 
overturning  what  had  been  unquestioningly  believed  for 
centuries,  have  been  professedly  attained  by  rigid  ap- 
plication of  the  scientific  method  to  study  of  New  Tes- 
tament texts.  To  question  these  conclusions  is,  in  the 
judgment  of  many,  to  expose  oneself  to  the  imputation 
of  ignorance  or  incompetence.  Such  is  the  glamor  that 
a  succession  of  German  critics  have  been  able  to  cast 
about  the  whole  subject,  that  for  a  long  time  hardly  a 
competent  scholar  has  ventured  to  raise  his  voice  in 
opposition  to  this  verdict  or  challenge  its  validity.  Sir 
William  Ramsay  has,  indeed,  with  courage  and  learning 
worthy  of  all  praise,  come  to  the  rescue  of  Luke,  and  has 

133 


134  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

SO  triumphantly  vindicated  the  good  physician's  author- 
ship of  the  Third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  that  Harnack  has 
accepted  this  view  and  abandoned  his  own  earlier  denial 
of  the  Lucan  authorship  of  these  writings.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark,  however,  that  Harnack  has  not  as  yet  been 
convinced  by  Ramsay's  equally  complete  vindication  of 
Luke's  accuracy  and  trustworthiness  as  a  historian.  But 
while  Luke  has  thus  been  defended,  John  is  still  left  to 
the  tender  mercies  of  German  criticism. 

That  John  the  apostle  could  not  have  been  the  author 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  has  been  called  "  an  axiom  of 
criticism."  The  phrase  is  happily  chosen;  for  an  axiom 
is  a  principle  whose  truth  is  assumed,  and  is  not  capable 
of  being  proved  by  testimony,  or  demonstrated  by  reason. 
That  seems  to  describe  fairly  well  this  notion  of  the  non- 
Johannine  character  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  that  has  been 
so  long  masquerading  as  the  assured  result  of  inductive 
study  of  the  document.  As  already  intimated,  Baur 
set  the  fashion  of  denying  the  Johannine  authorship  of 
this  Gospel ;  and  Baur's  entire  criticism  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament was  conditioned  and  directed  by  a  philosophic 
theory  that  he  brought  with  him  to  the  study.  It  was 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  establishment  of  his  theory 
that  the  composition  of  the  New  Testament  books,  and 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  in  particular,  should  be  pushed  as 
far  away  into  the  second  century  as  possible.  The  authen- 
ticity of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  as  an  admitted  fact,  would 
have  demolished  his  whole  historical  structure.  This  is 
not  to  accuse  Baur  of  conscious  unfairness;  it  is  rather 
to  recognize  in  him  unconscious  prejudice,  such  as  made 
any  truly  scientific  study  of  the  literature  impossible. 
For  scientific  study  must  begin  with  an  open  mind,  and 
Baur's  mind  was  not  open — it  was  impervious  to  any 
evidence  that  did  not  make  for  his  theory.  This  is  now 
quite  generally  admitted;  and  though  Baur  made  some 


THE  problem:  external  testimony  135 

contributions  of  great  value  to  our  knowledge  of  the  New 
Testament  documents,  nearly  every  one  of  his  particular 
contentions  has  been  abandoned  by  the  later  exponents  of 
**  scientific  "  criticism. 

But  what  was  true  of  Baur  has  been  true  of  every 
other  German  critic,  from  his  day  to  Schmiedel.  Hardly 
one  of  them  has  approached  the  study  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel  but  with  a  theory  of  the  early  history  of  Chris- 
tianity that  absolutely  required  denial  of  a  Johannine 
authorship.  Scarcely  one  of  them  could  have  made  place 
in  his  scheme  of  Christian  origins  for  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
on  the  theory  that  it  was  written  by  John  the  apostle,  and 
is  a  trustworthy  historical  document.  What  chance  is 
there  for  such  impartial  weighing  of  fact  as  is  the  sine 
qua  non  of  the  scientific  method  by  men  who  have  thus 
predetermined  their  conclusion?  Instead  of  real  scientific 
study,  under  great  show  of  scientific  method  and  of  scien- 
tific impartiality,  we  have  had  for  three  generations  an 
industrious  search  for  every  item  of  evidence  that  could 
by  any  ingenuity  be  made  to  support  what  w^as  in  fact  a 
begging  of  the  whole  question  involved.  German  criticism 
of  the  Johannine  writings  has  been  just  as  much  and  just 
as  little  entitled  to  be  called  scientific,  as  was  the  Sumnia 
Theologiae  of  Thomas  Aquinas,  when  he  first  inquired, 
What  does  the  Church  teach  ?  and  assuming  that  to  be  true, 
then  went  to  the  Scripture  to  find  proof-texts  that  would 
support  the  teaching.  Of  course,  he  found  what  he  looked 
for.  The  critics  have  found  what  they  looked  for — plenty 
of  evidence  against  the  Johannine  authorship.  They 
have  as  one  man  refused  to  find  any  other  evidence. 
Their  preconceived  idea  that  John  could  not  be  the  author 
has  made  it  inevitable  that  their  study  should  end  in  the 
conclusion  that  John  was  not  the  author. 

Doubtless  the  retort  will  be.  "  Physician,  heal  thyself." 
Is  one  who  thus  freely  accuses  others  of  prejudice  him- 


13^  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

self  unprejudiced?  In  what  way  does  he  dare  claim  that 
he  is  better  fitted  for  scientific  study  of  the  literature  than 
the  critics  whom  he  condemns?  The  retort  is  fair;  the 
question  is  pertinent;  but  the  answer  is  an  easy  one: 
the  author  does  not  consciously  hold  any  theory  of  the 
origins  of  Christianity;  and  particularly  does  not  hold  a 
theory  that  obligates  him  to  any  conclusion  whatever 
regarding  authorship  and  date  of  any  New  Testament 
writing.  Working  hypotheses  regarding  these  matters 
one  does  hold;  but  is  willing  to  change  any  or  all  of  them 
at  any  moment  for  good  reason,  because  one  is  anxious 
only  to  know  the  truth  about  them.  No  man  can  be 
certain  that  he  is  free  from  bias — on  the  contrary,  every 
sensible  man  knows  that  he  cannot  entirely  free  himself 
from  bias.  At  best  he  can  only  approximate  the  unbiased 
state  of  mind.  But  one  can  approximate  it ;  one  can 
consciously  begin  an  investigation  without  a  theory  that 
requires  a  given  conclusion.  The  Johannine  problem  is 
a  problem  of  criticism,  not  of  dogmatics.  It  is  not  im- 
perative, on  theological  or  sectarian  grounds,  to  main- 
tain the  traditional  authorship  and  dates  of  these  writ- 
ings. The  most  orthodox  may  approach  the  problem, 
not  wholly  without  prepossessions  perhaps,  but  without 
anxiety;  and  he  can  examine  with  entire  candor  all  the 
evidence  that  presents  itself.  And  whether  the  Fourth 
Gospel  shall  be  shown  by  the  inquiry  not  to  be  the  work 
of  the  apostle  John,  or  the  Johannine  authorship  shall  be 
confirmed  and  established,  is,  if  not  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference to  Christian  believers,  at  least  a  matter  of  com- 
parative unimportance. 

II 

Many  volumes  have  been  written  on  the  Johannine 
problem,  and  much  learning  has  been  devoted  to  solution 
of  such  questions  as,  Have  the  books  attributed  to  the 


THE   PROBLEM  :    EXTERNAL    TESTIMONY  I37 

apostle  John  a  common  authorship?  and,  Did  the  apostle 
John  write  any  of  these  books?  One  will  not  be  under- 
stood to  accuse  the  scholars  who  have  discussed  every 
possible  phase  of  such  questions  with  so  painstaking  care 
of  having  only  darkened  counsel  with  words,  if  he  ven- 
tures to  say  that  all  the  pertinent  evidence  is  capable  of 
statement  within  the  compass  of  a  few  pages.  The  direct 
and  indirect  evidence  is  of  small  bulk,  and  the  significance 
of  each  testimony  has  been  thoroughly  sifted  and  is 
generally  admitted.  It  will  be  profitable  to  sum  up  this 
residuum  of  critical  discussion. 

Eusebius  places  all  the  Johannine  writings  among  his 
bfioloyo'Jiitva^  or  acknowledged  books,  about  which  there 
was  never  any  serious  question  in  the  Church.^  In  this 
he  was  quite  justified  by  all  that  we  can  learn  from 
patristic  literature.  It  may  be  true  that  the  Johannine 
authorship  of  any  writing  cannot  be  proved  from  the 
Fathers ;  it  is  certainly  true  that,  with  a  single  exception 
to  be  noted,  their  genuineness  was  never  questioned. 
Even  the  few  heretics  who  rejected  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
did  this  because  of  its  content,  not  because  of  its  alleged 
authorship.  Marcion  is  said  to  have  rejected  all  the 
Gospels  but  that  of  Luke,  and  he  "  edited  "  that  after  a 
fashion  to  delight  the  heart  of  a  modern  German  critic. 
The  Alogi,  about  whom  we  hear  so  much  and  know  so 
little,  rejected  the  Fourth  Gospel  (so  Epiphanius  tells 
us)  really  on  account  of  its  doctrine  of  the  incarnation 
of  the  Logos,  but  they  made  a  question  of  authorship 
an  excuse  and  assigned  its  composition  to  Cerinthus. 
But  Cerinthus  the  Gnostic  was  so  impossible  an  author 
for  the  book  that  no  orthodox  writer  ever  troubled  him- 
self to  refute  the  Alogi.  Yet  we  may  note  in  passing  that 
it  is  not  without  significance  that  the  Alogi,  in  seeking 
for  a  putative  author  of  this  Gospel,  selected  an  Ephesian 

*  B.  E.,  iii,  2$. 


138  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

and  a  contemporary  of  the  apostle  John,  according  to 
tradition. 

But  while  Eusebius  does  not  place  the  Apocalypse 
among  his  avrtlzybiizva,  or  disputed  writings,  he  does 
indicate  that  a  considerable  minority  of  Christians  were 
still  inclined  in  his  day  to  refuse  this  book  a  place  in 
the  canon.  This  opposition  to  the  Apocalypse,  especially 
in  the  East,  was  no  doubt  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
Montanists  appealed  so  confidently  to  that  book  for  con- 
firmation of  their  chiliastic  teachings.  The  Catholic 
Church  rejected  chiliasm,  and  naturally  inclined  to  look 
with  some  suspicion  upon  a  book  that  was  said  to  give 
apostolic  support  to  that  doctrine.  Yet  of  the  two  writ- 
ings, Gospel  and  Apocalypse,  it  is  the  latter  that  has 
the  earlier  and  stronger  attestation  as  of  Johannine 
origin.  As  early  as  150  Justin  recognizes  as  current  in 
his  day  what  became  the  generally  accepted  view :  "  And 
further,  there  was  a  certain  man  with  us,  whose  name 
was  John,  one  of  the  apostles  of  Christ,  who  prophesied, 
by  a  revelation  that  was  made  to  him,  that  those  who 
believed  in  our  Christ  would  dwell  a  thousand  years  in 
Jerusalem."  -  No  such  decisive  testimony  regarding  the 
authorship  of  the  Gospel  can  be  cited  until  several 
decades  later.  Irenseus,  about  180,  bears  testimony  not 
only  to  what  was  held  in  his  day  regarding  the  Johan- 
nine authorship  of  the  Apocalypse,  but  also  to  the  date 
of  its  composition :  "  It  was  not  in  the  long  ago  that  this 
vision  came  to  pass,  but  almost  in  our  own  generation, 
toward  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Domitian."  ^  It  is  per- 
haps worthy  of  note  that  this  Father  says  no  more  than 
the  book  itself,  that  it  was  written  by  "  John,"  and 
does  not  call  the  author  an  apostle.  Since,  however, 
Justin  had  affirmed  the  John  of  Revelation  to  be  the 

*  "  Dial,  with  Trypho,"  Ixxxi. 

*  Adv.  Haer.,  v,  30,  3. 


THE  problem:  external  testimo:ny  139 

apostle,  and  Ircnaeus  does  not  deny  it,  wc  may  infer  tliat 
the  latter  believed  such  to  be  the,  case.* 

Dionysius  of  Alexandria  (d.  265)  was  the  first  of  the 
Fathers  to  question  the  apostolic  authorship  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse. It  seems  not  to  have  occurred  to  him  to  suspect 
the  tradition  about  the  Gospel,  but  he  found  difficulty  in 
believing  that  both  books  could  have  the  same  author.  In 
his  treatise  ''  On  Nature "  he  discusses  the  matter  at 
considerable  length,  and  though  the  book  itself  is  lost, 
Eusebius  has  preserved  for  us  a  long  extract.  After 
telling  us  that  some  ascribed  the  Apocalypse  to  Cerinthus, 
Dionysius  says  that  for  himself  he  cannot  reject  a  writ- 
ing held  in  high  esteem  by  others,  though  he  finds  it 
beyond  his  own  comprehension.  "  That  this  book  is  the 
work  of  one  John,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "  I  do  not  deny. 
And  I  agree  also  that  it  is  the  work  of  a  holy  and 
inspired  man.  But  I  cannot  readily  admit  that  he  was 
the  apostle,  the  son  of  Zebedee,  the  brother  of  James, 
by  whom  the  Gospel  and  Catholic  Epistle  were  written." 
In  giving  his  reasons  for  this  opinion,  Dionysius  antici- 
pates the  arguments  of  the  nineteenth-century  critics, 
who  did  little  more  than  amplify  what  had  already  been 
said  by  this  Alexandrine  scholar  of  the  third  century: 
"  In  fact,  it  is  plainly  to  be  seen  that  one  and  the  same 
character  marks  the  Gospel  and  Epistle  throughout.  But 
the  Apocalypse  is  different  from  these  writings  and  for- 
eign to  them:  almost,  so  to  speak,  without  even  a  syl- 
lable in  common  with  them.  .  .  Moreover,  it  can  also 
be  shown  that  the  diction  of  the  Gospel  and  Epistle 
differs  from  that  of  the  Apocalypse.  For  they  were  writ- 
ten not  only  without  error  as  regards  the  Greek  language, 

*  Irenaeus  is  also  our  earliest  authority  for  the  tradition  that  after  his  re- 
lease from  confinement  on  Patmos.  John  returned  to  Ephesus,  lived  there 
until  the  times  of  Trajan,  and  published  his  Gospel  there.  (Adv.  Haer.,  iii, 
I,  i;  ii,  22,  5.)  It  is  Epiphanius  who  first  adds  the  detail  that  the  apostle 
was  nearly  a  liundred  years  old  when  he  WTOte  his  Gospel,  shortly  before 
his  death.  (Haer.,  ii,  12.) 


140  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

but  also  with  elegance  in  their  expression,  in  their  reason- 
ings, and  in  their  entire  structure.  They  are  far  indeed 
from  betraying  any  barbarism  or  solecism,  or  any  vul- 
garism whatever.  .  .  I  do  not  deny  that  the  other  writer 
saw  a  revelation  and  received  knowledge  and  prophecy. 
I  perceive,  however,  that  his  dialect  and  language  are  not 
accurate  Greek,  but  he  uses  barbarous  idioms,  and,  in 
some  places,  solecisms."  ^  For  the  present  it  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  no  orthodox  student  of  the  New  Testament 
need  feel  under  any  obligation  to  assert  and  defend  what 
the  Apocalypse  itself  does  not  claim,  an  apostolic  author- 
ship. "  John  "  may  or  may  not  have  been  the  apostle. 
That  he  was  is  merely  the  voice  of  tradition  and  the 
opinion  of  many  Christian  scholars — nothing  more.  But 
so  far  as  the  external  evidence  goes,  it  is  clearly  in  favor 
of  apostolic  authorship. 

Ill 

In  considering  the  external  evidence  concerning  the 
Gospel  and  Epistles,  it  will  be  convenient  to  treat  them 
together,  since  from  earliest  times  until  now  there  has 
been  practically  no  doubt  that  they  have  a  common  au- 
thorship. This  has  indeed  been  questioned — what  is 
there  that  has  not  been  questioned? — but  the  overwhelm- 
ing weight  of  scholarly  opinion  has  always  been,  and 
still  is,  in  favor  of  a  common  authorship.  We  may, 
however,  properly  take  pains  to  separate  more  clearly 
than  has  sometimes  been  done  between  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  from  the  year  too  on- 
ward, and  evidence  of  Johannine  authorship.  To  some 
extent,  the  one  fact  implies  the  other,  yet  they  are  not 
precisely  the  same  thing.  Much  of  the  external  evidence 
only  proves  the  existence  and  use  in  the  church  of  the 
Gospel  at  a  certain  time ;  and  in  such  cases,  authorship 

^  Eusebius,  H.  E.,  vii,  34,  7,  22-27. 


THE    PROBLEM  :    EXTERNAL    TESTIMONY  I4T 

is  rather  inferred  with  great  probabiHty  than  delinitely 
proved. 

We  begin,  as  a  sohd  starting-point,  with  the  exis- 
tence of  our  four  Gospels  under  the  same  names  that 
they  now  bear,  in  the  time  of  Irenseus.  He  not  only 
enters  into  a  fanciful  and  far-fetched  argument  to  show 
that  there  must  be  four  Gospels  and  no  more,  but  also 
repeats  the  extant  traditions  regarding  the  authorship  of 
the  various  books.  As  to  the  matter  with  which  we 
are  concerned,  he  says :  "  Then  John,  the  disciple  of  the 
Lord,  who  also  leaned  upon  his  breast,  himself  also 
published  the  Gospel,  while  he  was  dwelling  at  Ephesus 
in  Asia."®  A  little  further  on  he  adds  that  John  re- 
mained permanently  with  the  church  at  Ephesus  "  until 
the  time  of  Trajan."  As  Trajan  was  emperor  from  98  to 
117,  the  statement  of  Irenseus  accords  with  later  tradi- 
tions that  speak  of  the  apostle's  death  at  Ephesus  at  an 
advanced  age.  But  the  point  just  now  to  note  is  that 
in  the  age  of  Irenseus  there  was  no  Johannine  problem:  a 
common  authorship,  and  that  apostolic,  of  the  Johannine 
writings  was  the  generally  accepted  tradition. 

And,  therefore,  the  importance  of  this  testimony  of 
Irenaeus  is  that  it  is  not  merely  his  individual  witness: 
the  implications  are  as  significant  as  the  assertions.  This 
Father  was  born,  probably,  not  later  than  140,  and  by 
his  own  account  he  had  in  his  youth  known  Polycarp, 
who  had  been  a  learner  from  the  original  disciples  of 
Jesus.  It  is  incredible  that  the  Fourth  Gospel  should 
have  been  published  during  his  own  lifetime,  and  he  be 
ignorant  of  the  fact.  Therefore,  his  words  carry  the 
date  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  tradition  of  the  Johannine 
authorship  as  well,  back  to  at  least  the  middle  of  the 
second  century.  But,  as  already  intimated,  by  linking 
his  own  testimony  with  that  of   Polycarp,  the  date  is 

^Adr.  Haer.,  iii,  i,  i;  ii,  3,  4;  ii,  22,  s;  cf-  iii.  u.  9- 


142  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

pushed  back  close  to  the  apostolic  period  itself.  In  a 
lost  letter  to  Florinus,  from  which  Eusebius  quotes  at 
some  length,  Irenaeus  says:  "  What  boys  learn,  growing 
with  their  mind,  becomes  joined  with  it;  so  that  I  am 
able  to  describe  the  very  place  in  which  the  blessed  Poly- 
carp  sat  as  he  discoursed,  and  his  goings  out  and  com- 
ings in,  and  the  manner  of  his  life  and  his  physical  ap- 
pearance, and  his  discourses  to  the  people,  and  the 
accounts  that  he  gave  of  his  intercourse  with  John  and 
with  the  others  who  had  seen  the  Lord.  And  as  he  re- 
membered their  words,  and  what  he  heard  from  them 
concerning  the  Lord,  and  concerning  his  miracles  and 
his  teaching,  having  received  them  from  eye-witnesses 
of  the  '  Word  of  Life,'  Polycarp  related  all  things  in 
harmony  with  the  Scriptures.  These  things  being  told 
me  by  the  mercy  of  God,  I  listened  to  them  attentively, 
noting  them  down,  not  on  paper,  but  in  my  heart.  And 
continually,  through  God's  grace,  I  recall  them  faith- 
fully." '^  This  statement,  with  its  unmistakable  allusion 
to  the  Prologue  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  goes  so  far  to 
make  Polycarp  a  witness  to  the  Johannine  authorship, 
that  the  only  way  of  escape  from  that  conclusion  has 
proved  to  be  a  denial  of  the  authenticity  of  the  letter. 
But  this  is  mere  denial,  which  rests  on  no  proof  what- 
ever. Consequently,  the  majority  of  scholars  accept  the 
letter  on  the  authority  of  Eusebius. 

To  be  sure,  there  is  another  small  loophole,  through 
which  a  few  have  crawled.  Irenseus  does  not  say  in 
so  many  words,  ''  John  the  apostle."  But  he  does  say, 
"  John  who  had  seen  the  Lord."  And  if  the  Fourth 
Gospel  was  written  by  a  John  who  was  an  eye-witness 
of  the  ministry  of  Jesus,  what  profit  will  there  be  in 
discussing  whether  he  should  be  further  named  John  the 
apostle  or  John  the  presbyter  or  John  something-else? 

■^  Eusebius,  H.  E.,  v,  20,  4-7. 


THE    PROP.LEM  :    EXTERNAL    TESTIMONY  I43 

We  may  surely  leave  such  discussion  to  minds  that  find 
profitable  exercise  in  debating  the  vast  difference  between 
tweedle-dee  and  tweedle-dum,  and  turn  to  the  Muratorian 
Canon,  which  belongs  to  about  the  time  of  Irenaeus,  at 
least  to  the  later  years  of  his  episcopate.  We  read :  "  So 
also  John,  one  of  the  disciples  [author  of  the]  fourth 
of  the  Gospels,  began  to  write  from  the  birth  of  John 
[the  Baptist].  At  the  entreaties  of  his  fellow  disciples 
and  bishops,  he  said,  '  Fast  with  me  three  days  from  this, 
and  whatever  shall  be  revealed  to  us,  let  us  narrate  to 
each  other.'  On  the  same  night  it  was  revealed  to 
Andrew,  one  of  the  apostles,  that  John  should  relate  all 
things  in  his  own  name,  while  all  revised  them.  .  .  He 
professes  that  he  was  not  only  an  eye-witness,  but  also 
a  hearer,  and  besides  a  writer  in  order  of  the  wonderful 
works  of  the  Lord."  *  Legendary  and  even  silly,  per- 
haps, this  record  yet  makes  clear  the  fact  that  the  un- 
known writer  of  this  document,  and  those  for  whom 
he  spoke,  believed  John  the  apostle  to  be  the  author 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 

The  earliest  writer  to  ascribe  the  Gospel  to  "John," 
presumably  the  apostle,  is  Theophilus  of  Antioch.  Writ- 
ing perhaps  a  decade  before  Irenseus,  he  speaks  of  "  all 
the  Spirit-bearing  men,  one  of  whom,  John,  says,  *  In 
the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God.'"^  Clement  of  Alexandria,  probably  writing  a 
little  later,  but  belonging  to  the  last  quarter  of  the  second 
century,  speaks  like  Irenaeus  of  the  "  four  Gospels."  ^" 
And  Eusebius  quotes  from  a  lost  work  of  Clement,  the 
"  Hypotyposes,"  a  distinct  testimony  to  the  authorship 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel :  "  But  last  of  all,  John,  perceiving 

«  For  the  full  text  of  the  Muratorian  Canon,  see  Westcott's  "  History  of 
the  Canon,'    pp.   S43S47. 

^Ad  Axitol.,  ii,  22.  Eusebius  also  informs  us  {H.  E.,  iv,  24)  that  The- 
ophilus has  used  testimonies  from  the  Apocalypse  of  John,  but  he  gives  no 
actual  instances,  and  so  we  have  only  his  opinion  in  the  case. 

'o  Strom.,  iii,  13. 


144  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

iliat  the  external  facts  had  heen  made  plain  in  the  Gospel, 
being  urged  by  his  friends  and  inspired  by  the  Spirit, 
composed  a  spiritual  Gospel."  "  The  significance  of  this 
saying,  as  regards  the  content  of  the  book,  has  been 
elsewhere  discussed :  here  we  note  merely  the  historical 
bearing  of  Clement's  attestation. 

The  comparatively  recent  discovery  of  Tatian's  "  Dia- 
tessaron,"  a  work  previously  known  only  by  title  and 
repute,  makes  it  clear  that  the  external  testimony  to  the 
Fourth  Gospel  goes  unmistakably  back  a  generation 
earlier  than  that  of  Irenseus.  Tatian  used  the  Fourth 
Gospel  equally  with  the  Synoptists  in  the  composition  of 
his  book,  which  is  probably  to  be  dated  earlier  than  170, 
and  this  of  course  implies  acceptance  and  circulation  of 
the  Gospel  for  several  decades  before  it  would  have 
been  natural  for  a  Christian  scholar  to  use  it  on  equal 
terms  with  the  older  narratives.  Strictly  speaking, 
Tatian  only  proves  the  existence  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 
and  its  unopposed  use  in  the  church  from  about  140 
onward;  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  no  other  than 
John  the  apostle  is  ever  named  as  author  by  the  Fathers, 
the  inference  as  to  authorship  from  the  fact  of  use  is 
almost  irresistible,  Sanday  has  shown  that  Tatian  uses 
a  text  of  the  Gospel  already  very  corrupt,  and  therefore 
derived  by  several  successive  copyings  from  the  original 
autograph,  which  strongly  confirms  the  inference  that 
the  book  cannot,  on  this  evidence  from  Tatian,  be  of  later 
origin  than  140,  and  might  have  been  published  decades 
earlier. 

We  now  come  to  Tatian's  teacher,  Justin,  commonly 
surnamed  Martyr.  A  passage  occurs  in  his  First  Apology, 
which  could  have  been  written  only  by  one  familiar  with 
John  3:3-5:  "  For  Christ  also  said,  '  Unless  ye  be  born 
again,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' 

"  H.  E.,  vi,  14,  7. 


THE    PROBLEM  :    EXTERNAL    TESTIMONY  I45 

But  that  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  are  once  born  to 
enter  into  the  womb  of  those  who  brought  them  forth, 
is  evident  to  all."  ^'  Great  efforts  have  been  made  to 
escape  the  natural  conclusion  from  these  words.  Many 
critics  have  urged  that  the  verbal  deviations  of  Justin's 
citation  from  the  passage  in  John  show  that  this  is  no 
quotation,  but  may  be  better  explained  as  an  independent 
reference  to  the  same  tradition  that  is  embodied  in  the 
Gospel:  a  common  origin  would  explain  their  substantial 
identity,  while  the  verbal  differences  make  the  hypothesis 
of  quotation  impossible. 

The  argument  is  plausible  until  we  examine  the  habits 
of  the  Fathers  with  regard  to  quotation,  especially  Jus- 
tin's. Fortunately,  we  have  ample  materials  for  in- 
vestigation. We  find  that  of  eighty-nine  quotations  by 
Justin  from  the  Septuagint,  twenty-three  approximate 
verbal  exactness,  while  thirty-three  contain  material  varia- 
tions from  the  quoted  text ;  eight  are  merely  free  adapta- 
tions, and  eight  others  are  combinations  of  two  or  more 
separate  passages  into  one.  Of  seventeen  passages  quoted 
more  than  once,  scarcely  one  is  given  twice  alike.  Jus- 
tin's citations  from  the  Synoptic  Gospels,  which  he  ad- 
mittedly had  and  used,  are  equally  free.  The  investiga- 
gation  proves  beyond  reasonable  doubt  that  this  Father 
does  not  attempt  the  exact  verbal  accuracy  of  modern 
scholars.  The  hypothesis  most  reconcilable  with  all  the 
facts  is,  that  Justin  usually  quoted  from  memory — an 
unusually  well-stored  memory,  that  always  reproduced 
the  sense  of  a  passage,  but  not  in  most  cases  its  exact 
words.  Dr.  Ezra  x'Vbbot  has  shown  by  an  elaborate  in- 
vestigation that  this  habit  of  Justin's  was  common  to 
all  the  early  Fathers,  and  even  to  many  later  writers; 
and  he  has  produced  from  the  works  of  Christian  schol- 
ars, from  Irenaeus  to  Jeremy  Taylor,  quotations  of  this 

^ApoL,  i,  61. 
K 


146  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

same  passage  in  the  Fourth  Gospel,  all  of  which  show- 
verbal  inaecuracies  equal  to  or  greater  than  Justin's,  it 
the  inaccuracy  of  Justin  proves  that  he  did  not  possess 
and  use  the  Fourth  Gospel,  by  parity  of  reasoning  it  is 
clear  that  this  Gospel  was  unknown  to  over  sixty  of  the 
greatest  writers  in  Christian  history.  There  could  not  be 
a  more  successful  rcdiictio  ad  absurdum,  and  Doctor 
Abbot  must  be  acknowledged  to  have  completely  de- 
molished this  critical  objection. ^^ 

But  we  have  not  yet  before  us  the  sum  of  Justin's 
evidence.  Elsewhere  he  says :  "  I  have  previously  shown 
that  he  was  the  only  Son  of  the  Father  of  all  things,  his 
Logos  and  his  power,  born  of  himself,  and  afterwards 
made  man  by  means  of  the  Virgin,  as  we  have  learned 
from  the  Memoirs."  ^*  These  Memoirs,  according  to 
Justin,  "  have  been  composed  by  the  Apostles  and  by 
those  who  have  accompanied  them,"  ^^  and  are  read  in 
public  worship  as  of  equal  authority  with  the  Old  Testa- 
ment prophets.  Such  acceptance  and  use  require  a  long 
previous  history.  As  there  is  so  much  dispute  about 
Justin's  Logos  doctrine,  whether  he  derived  it  from  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  or  from  a  common  source,  the  widely 
diffused  philosophic  ideas  of  Philo,  a  cautious  scholar  will 
hesitate  to  draw  an  inference  from  this  doctrine  regard- 
ing the  authorship  of  the  Gospel.  But  in  any  event,  it 
can  hardly  be  successfully  maintained  that  Justin  was 
ignorant  of  this  book ;  and,  if  he  knew  it,  its  composition 
and  publication  cannot  be  dated  later  than  the  year  130. 

We  are  again  indebted  to  Eusebius  for  a  still  earlier 
testimony  that  is  believed  by  many  to  throw  valuable  light 
on  the  origin  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  This  is  something 
that  Papias  says  about  his  earlier  life,  in  a  writing  now 

1' "  The   Fourth    Gospel."      Essays  by   Ezra   Abbot,    Andrew   P.   Peabody, 
and  Bishop  Lightfoot,  New  York,  1891,  pp.  28-37. 
^*  Dial.,  c,  25. 
^  Apol.,  i,  67. 


THE  problem:  external  testimony  147 

lost :  "  And  again,  on  any  occasion  when  a  person  came 
in  my  way  who  had  been  a  follower  of  the  elders,  I  would 
inquire  about  the  discourses  of  the  presbyters — what  was 
said  by  Andrew  or  Peter,  or  by  Philip,  or  by  Thomas  or 
James,  or  by  John  or  Matthew,  or  any  other  of  the 
Lord's  disciples,  and  what  Aristion  and  John  the  Presby- 
ter say.  For  I  did  not  think  that  I  could  get  so  much 
profit  from  the  contents  of  books,  as  from  the  utterances 
of  a  living  and  abiding  voice."  ^°  Eusebius  inferred  from 
these  words  of  Papias  a  distinction  between  the  John 
who  was  a  disciple  or  presbyter  along  with  Peter  and 
James,  and  another  John  who  was  known  as  "  the  pres- 
byter." It  was  possibly  knowledge  of  some  such  fact 
or  tradition  as  this  which  led  Dionysius  of  Alexandria 
to  conjecture  that  John  the  apostle  was  not  the  author 
of  the  Apocalypse,  but  "  some  other  one  of  those  in 
Asia,  as  they  say  there  are  two  monuments  in  Ephesus, 
each  bearing  the  name  of  John."  This  latter  circum- 
stance Eusebius  seems  to  attest  of  his  own  knowledge, 
though  his  language  is  not  absolutely  conclusive :  "  This 
shows  that  the  statement  of  those  is  true,  who  say  that 
there  were  two  persons  in  Asia  that  bore  the  same  name, 
and  that  there  were  two  tombs  in  Ephesus,  each  of 
which,  even  to  the  present  day,  is  called  John's.  It  is 
important  to  notice  this,  for  it  is  probable  that  it  was  the 
second  John,  the  presbyter,  if  one  is  not  willing  to  admit 
that  it  was  the  first,  that  saw  the  Revelation  which  is 
ascribed  by  name  to  John."  Those  Fathers  who  found 
difficulties  in  the  theory  of  a  common  authorship  of  Gos- 
pel and  Apocalypse,  with  one  accord  ascribed  the  Apoca- 
lypse to  another  John,  but  never  thought  of  another  than 
the  apostle  as  author  of  the  Gospel. 

As  we  have  already  noted,  evidence  for  the  authorship 
of  the  Epistles  is  practically  evidence  for  the  Gospel  also. 

**f/.  E.,  iii,  39,  4. 


148  THE   JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

Eusebius  tells  us  that  Papias  "  has  used  testimonies  from 
the  former  Epistle  of  John,  and  from  that  of  Peter  simi- 
larly." ^■^  And  Polycarp  seems  to  quote  i  John :  "  For 
whosoever  does  not  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  has  come 
in  the  flesh,  is  Antichrist,"  ^®  which  is  so  exactly  the  sub- 
stance of  I  John  4  :  2,  3,  and  so  nearly  the  form,  that 
the  relationship  of  the  two  can  hardly  be  denied.  Pos- 
sibly there  are  in  Polycarp's  letter  echoes  of  the  Gospel 
also,  as  where  he  says,  "  As  he  has  promised  us,  '  I  will 
raise  you  from  the  dead.' "  ^^  The  only  record  of  such 
promise  by  Jesus  is  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  where  "  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day  "  is 
thrice  repeated  as  a  sort  of  refrain  in  verses  40,  44,  54. 
It  is  certain,  however,  that  Polycarp  nowhere  mentions 
John  by  name,  while  he  does  mention  Paul.  He  also 
cites  unmistakably  from  Paul  and  only  doubtfully  from 
John.  If  Polycarp  was  really  a  disciple  of  the  apostle,  it 
is  urged,  such  an  attitude  toward  his  teacher  is  strange, 
if  not  incredible.  But  we  should  remember  that  we  have 
only  a  short  letter  of  Polycarp,  and  he  cannot  be  fairly 
expected  in  that  to  tell  us  all  that  he  had  ever  known  or 
thought.  That  short  letter,  moreover,  was  addressed  to 
the  Philippians,  a  church  with  which  Paul  had  a  vital 
connection  and  John  none  at  all,  so  far  as  we  know.  Still 
further,  Polycarp  was  exhorting  the  Philippians  to  sted- 
fastness  under  persecution,  "  such  as  ye  have  seen  before 
your  eyes,  not  only  in  the  case  of  the  blessed  Ignatius  .  .  . 
but  also  in  others  .  .  .  and  in  Paul  himself,  and  the  rest 
of  the  apostles."  -"  He  could  not  well  refer  to  John  in 
this  connection,  if  John  was  not  a  martyr,  but  had  only 
recently  died  at  Eusebius  (according  to  tradition).  In  the 
light  of  these  facts,  can  it  be  fairly  said  that  Polycarp's 
silence  regarding  his  alleged  master  is  inexplicable? 

"H.  E.,  iii,  39,  i6.  ^  "  To  Philippians."  ch.  vit. 

^^  lb.,  ch.  V.  ""  "  Philippians,"  ch.  ix. 


THE    I'KOBLKM  :    EXTERNAL    TESTIMONY  149 

But,  it  is  still  further  urged,  the  facts  have  not  yet 
been  fully  considered :  the  silence  is  not  that  of  Polycarp 
alone,  but  of  Ignatius  and  Justin— of  all  the  Fathers,  in 
fact,  prior  to  150.    For,  if  it  be  conceded  that  some  or  all 
of  these  were  acquainted  with  the  Fourth  Gospel,  not 
one  of  them  mentions  John  as  its  author.    The  argument 
from  silence,  it  is  said,  is  cumulative,  and  therefore  very 
weighty.    To  which  it  must  be  replied,  that  of  all  forms 
of  historical  evidence  the  argument  from  silence  is  of 
least  value.    Humboldt  once  illustrated  its  weakness  from 
modern  literature,  especially   when   our   information   is 
fragmentary:  In  the  archives  of  Barcelona  there  is  no 
mention  of  the  triumphal  entry  of  Columbus  into  that 
city;   in   Marco  Polo's  Travels  there  is  no  allusion  to 
the  Great  Wall  of  China ;  and  in  the  state  papers  of  Por- 
tugal nothing  is  to  be  found  about  the  voyages  of  Amerigo 
Vespucci  in  the  service  of  the  crown.     According  to  the 
critics  of  John,  we  ought  to  reject  as  mythical,  or  at 
least  unproved,  these  facts.    It  is  now  a  recognized  prin- 
ciple among  historical  students  that  the  argument  from 
silence  is  never  quite  conclusive,  and  it  is  never  even 
strong,  unless  it  can  be  shown  from  attendant  circum- 
stances that  a  writer  had  a  powerful  motive  to  say  a 
given  thing,  if  he  was  acquainted  with  it  and  believed  it 
to  be  true.    Then,  indeed,  silence  may  be  very  significant. 
The  silence  of  the  Fathers  regarding  John  is  not  at  all  of 
that  nature;  there  was  then  no  controversy  about  the 
authorship  of  the  Gospel,  and  no  particular  reason  why 
a  Father  should  mention  the  author ;  hence  nothing  can 
be  safely  inferred  from  mere  silence. 

And  besides,  the  argument  from  silence  in  this  case  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel  is  double-edged  and  cuts  both  ways.  If 
the  silence  of  the  Fathers  down  to  about  150  about  the 
authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  difficult  to  reconcile 
with  the  theory  of  its  previous  existence  and  apostolic 


150  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

authorship,  the  silence  of  the  Fathers  after  150  about 
the  recent  pubHcation  of  the  Gospel  and  the  fiction  of 
apostolic  authorship  would  be  equally  inexplicable.  When 
Theophilus  and  Iren^Eus  begin  to  quote  the  Gospel  as 
the  work  of  John  the  apostle,  they  treat  it  as  a  book 
well  known  and  generally  accepted.  The  conclusion  to 
which  all  the  facts,  therefore,  unmistakably  point  is,  that 
the  Gospel  was  probably  published  before  no,  and  al- 
most certainly  published  as  the  work  of  John  the  apostle. 

The  full  significance  of  this  unanimous  acceptance  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel  by  the  year  150  will  be  apparent  when 
we  ask  ourselves  what  possibility  there  would  have  been 
of  introducing  a  fourth  account  of  the  life  of  Jesus, 
so  different  from  the  already  accepted  three,  as  the  work 
of  an  apostle,  without  rousing  one  word  of  controversy 
or  protest.  When  Melanchthon  attempted  to  make  a  few 
changes  in  the  Augsburg  Confession,  he  nearly  disrupted 
the  Lutheran  party.  The  second  letter  ascribed  to  Peter 
is  a  sufficient  example  of  the  opposition  that  any  ill- 
authenticated  book  would  receive  in  the  second  century, 
when  it  claimed  apostolic  authority  and  a  place  in  the 
canon.  If  a  book  of  small  relative  importance  required 
two  centuries  to  surmount  opposition  and  become  gen- 
erally accepted  as  apostolic  and  canonical,  what  chance 
would  a  book  of  so  supreme  importance  as  the  Fourth 
Gospel  have  had  of  being  slipped  "  unbeknownst "  into 
the  official  books  of  the  Church? 

It  would  be  possible  to  add  considerably  to  the  bulk  of 
the  patristic  evidence,  but  hardly  to  its  significance.  At- 
tempts have  been  made  to  show  that  Ignatius  was  familiar 
with  the  Fourth  Gospel.  He  certainly  does  not  quote 
from  it,  in  the  modern  sense,  but  there  are  in  his  letters 
phrases  of  a  Johannine  flavor,  echoes  of  the  Gospel  (such 
as  "the  eternal  Word  of  God,"  Mag.  viii)  Mdiich,  how- 
ever, prove  no  more  than  that  Ignatius  was  familiar  with 


THE  problem:  extekn.vl  testimony  151 

the  Johannine  type  of  teaching.  Such  famiharity  he 
might  have  gained  from  tradition,  as  well  as  from  a 
written  Gospel.  There  is  valuable  evidence  also  from 
heretical  sources,  as  well  as  from  orthodox.  Chief  among 
these  is  Basilides,  who  died  not  long  after  130,  and  must 
therefore  have  been  living  in  the  last  two  decades  of  the 
first  century.  He  is  said  by  Hippolytus  to  have  been  a 
disciple  of  that  Matthias  who  was  chosen  to  take  the 
place  of  Judas  among  the  Twelve,  Basilides  is  quoted  by 
Hippolytus  as  saying:  "  And  here  it  is  (says  he)  what  is 
said  in  the  Gospels,  '  I  am  the  true  Light  that  lighteth 
every  man,' "  and,  "  Let  every  thing  have  its  own  ap- 
pointed time  (says  he)  is  what  the  Saviour  sufficiently 
declares  in  these  words,  *  My  hour  is  not  yet  come.'  " 
It  is  hard  not  to  see  here  quotations  of  John  i  :  9  and 
2  :  4.  Critics  like  Weizsacker,  not  too  strongly  inclined 
to  orthodoxy  or  traditionalism,  admit  that  these  are  quo- 
tations from  the  Fourth  Gospel.  If  this  view  is  correct, 
the  publication  of  the  Gospel  after  130  is  impossible,  and 
after  120  is  incredible. 

IV 

Even  among  the  critics  most  hostile  to  the  traditional 
views,  a  great  change  has  come  about  since  the  debate 
over  the  Johannine  writings  began.  Baur  insisted  that 
the  Gospel  could  not  be  dated  earlier  than  170.  But 
further  investigation  showed  conclusively  that  the  book 
was  widely  current  at  that  date,  and  had  already  been 
made  the  subject  of  a  commentary  by  Heracleon,  which 
implies  a  considerable  previous  history,  since  commen- 
taries are  not  written  on  an  unknown  work,  or  even  on 
one  recently  published.  So  Hilgenfeld  set  the  date  back 
to  150,  with  which  date  Keim  finally  agreed,  after  first 
fixing  on  130.  The  establishment  of  Tatian's  use  of  the 
Gospel  now  compels  even  the  most  radical  critics  to  make 


152  TliE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Keim's  earliest  date  the  latest  possible,  and  recent  Ger- 
man writers  show  a  progressive  tendency  to  approximate 
the  traditional  ideas.  Wernle,  for  example,  accepts  "  the 
fact  that  the  writings  that  form  the  New  Testament  to- 
ward the  end  of  the  second  century,  were  already — with 
scarcely  an  exception — in  the  possession  of  the  ecclesias- 
tical writers,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  and  Papias,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  century."  -^  And  Volkmar,  whom  no 
scholar  will  accuse  of  undue  conservatism,  says :  "  If  be- 
tween 125  and  155  a  commentary  was  composed  on  John's 
Gospel,  such  as  that  of  which  Origen  has  preserved  con- 
siderable extracts,  --  what  yet  remains  to  be  discussed  ? 
It  is  very  certain  that  it  is  all  over  with  the  critical 
thesis  of  the  composition  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  in  the 
middle  of  the  second  century." 

There  are,  however,  still  not  a  few  who  are  unwilling 
to  accept  the  conclusion  above  indicated  as  best  in  ac- 
cord with  all  the  facts.  If  the  Gospel  was  published  by 
120,  not  more  than  twenty  years  after  the  probable  death 
of  John,  and  accepted  by  the  presbyters  and  bishops  of 
those  Asiatic  churches  where  he  was  best  known,  how  can 
his  authorship  be  successfully  questioned?  The  only 
recourse  would  seem  to  be  to  deny  the  tradition  of  John's 
Ephesian  residence  and  old  age.  When  they  wrote,  Baur 
and  Hilgenfeld  found  this  Asiatic  residence  of  the  apos- 
tle necessary  to  the  validity  of  their  arguments  against 
a  Johannine  authorship ;  and  so  they  not  only  accepted 
the  tradition,  but  maintained  it.  Now  an  Asiatic  resi- 
dence of  the  apostle  has  become  an  embarrassment  to  the 
critics,  and  from  Keim  onward  they  have  denied  that 
the  tradition  has  any  foundation  in  fact.  Some  will  not 
even  admit  that  there  was  one  John  in  Ephesus,  while 

^  "  Beginnings  of  Christianity,"  2  :  245. 

^  Origen  quotes  from  Heracleon's  commentary  about  fifty  times,  and  often 
at  considerable  length. 


THE  problem:  external  testimony  153 

others  eagerly  receive  the  assertion  of  Eusebius  and 
others  that  two  Johns  dwelt  there,  who  became  confused 
in  the  later  traditions.  A  fragment  recently  recovered 
from  Papias  declares  that  "  John  and  James,  his  brother, 
were  killed  by  the  Jews."  -^  This  statement  is  held  to 
be  more  inherently  credible  than  the  tradition  of  death 
of  old  age  at  Ephesus,  since  it  accords  better  with  the 
Synoptic  prediction  concerning  both  brothers,  "  Ye  shall 
drink  the  cup  that  I  drink."  -*  This  is  an  argument,  of 
course,  that  appeals  with  special  force  to  those  who  hold 
that  all  predictions  are  made  after  the  event — all  suc- 
cessful predictions,  at  least.  That  there  is  a  difficulty 
just  here  was  recognized  by  some  of  the  Fathers,  and 
Origen  suggests  that  the  words  of  Jesus  were  sufficiently 
fulfilled  by  the  banishment  of  John  to  Patmos.-^ 

Though  the  earlier  tradition  does  seem  to  recognize 
two  Johns  in  Asia,  it  says  nothing  about  both  being  in 
Ephesus,  which  is  a  considerably  later  addition.  And  the 
later  tradition  is  not  consistent :  for  example,  Epiphanius 
speaks  of  a  presbyter  of  Jerusalem  who  survived  until 
117,  who  bore  the  name  of  John."®  The  first  definite 
statement  about  John  the  presbyter,  therefore,  is  that  he 
was  of  Jerusalem,  not  of  Ephesus.  The  theory  of  two 
Ephesian  Johns  is  probably  nothing  but  a  mare's  nest  dis- 
covered by  Dionysius  and  approved  by  Eusebius,  to  dis- 
credit not  the  Fourth  Gospel,  but  the  Apocalypse.  Euse- 
bius makes  his  motive  quite  evident,  when  he  quotes  as 
the  oldest  tradition  known  to  him,  the  words  of  Polyc- 
rates,  bishop  of  Ephesus  in  the  last  decades  of  the  second 
century :  "  And  moreover  John,  who  was  both  a  witness 
and  a  teacher,  who  reclined  on  the  bosom  of  the  Lord, 
and  being  a  priest  wore  the  sacerdotal  plate.     He  also 

^"Texte  und  Untersuchungen,"  v,  2,  p.  170. 
^  Mark  xo  :  39;  Matt,  zo  :  23. 
-'  Com.  in  Matt.,  torn,  xvi,  66. 
''  De  Mens.,  xv. 


154  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

sleeps  at  Ephesus."  -^  Whatever  strengthened  ecclesias- 
tical claims  found  ready  acceptance  with  the  first  Chris- 
tian historian.  And  it  becomes  increasingly  difficult  to 
explain  how  an  accepted  tradition  of  an  Ephesian  resi- 
dence of  John  the  apostle  could  have  grown  up  within  two 
generations  of  his  asserted  death  there,  if  there  had  been 
no  foundation  of  fact  for  such  a  general  belief. 

An  appropriate  conclusion  of  this  examination  of  the 
external  evidence  would  seem  to  be  these  words  of  the 
late  Bishop  Lightf oot :  "  We  may  look  forward  to  the 
time  when  it  will  be  held  discreditable  to  the  reputation 
of  any  critic  for  sobriety  and  judgment  to  assign  to  this 
Gospel  any  later  date  than  the  end  of  the  first  century, 
or  the  very  beginning  of  the  second."  "* 

^  H.  E..  iii,  21 ;  cf.  v,  i,  8,  13  and  iii,  23. 
28  "  Biblical  Essays,"  London,  1871,  p.  11. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  JOHANNINE  PROBLEM:  THE  INTERNAL 
EVIDENCE 


THOUGH  the  question  of  the  authorship  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  is  a  purely  critical  problem,  it  is  a 
problem  of  the  first  interest,  if  not  of  the  first  impor- 
tance. Apologetic  literature  in  former  generations  as- 
sumed that  we  have  four  independent  witnesses  of  the 
Hfe  of  Jesus  in  the  Four  Gospels.  Critical  study  has 
convinced  all  scholars  that  at  most  we  have  but  two  wit- 
nesses: the  Synoptists,  owing  to  their  literary  interde- 
pendence, together  give  but  one  testimony,  while  the 
Fourth  Gospel  at  least  purports  to  give  another.  But 
the  slightest  examination  discloses  the  fact  that  the 
Fourth  Gospel  differs  widely  from  the  other  three.  Some 
critics  therefore  argue:  Since  John's  account  of  the  min- 
istry and  teaching  of  Jesus  differs  so  widely  from  that 
of  the  Synoptists,  it  cannot  be  true.  This  is  a  complete 
non  sequitur.  One  accustomed  to  judicial  sifting  of  tes- 
timony would  be  more  likely  to  argue  thus :  John's  testi- 
mony is  different  from  that  of  the  Synoptists,  therefore  it 
probably  is  true;  had  it  been  the  same,  the  agreement 
would  have  been  suspicious. 

The  Fourth  Gospel  is  the  only  one  of  the  four  that 
claims  to  be  written  by  an  eye-witness.  None  of  the 
other  writers  puts  forth  this  claim  to  possession  of  first- 
hand knowledge;  the  writer  of  the  Third  Gospel,  indeed, 
frankly  confesses  that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  original 
circle  of  disciples  and  has  used  written  sources.    But  the 

155 


156  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  announced  in  its  text, 
not  by  tradition  merely,  to  have  belonged  to  the  inner 
circle,  to  have  seen  the  works  of  Jesus  and  listened  to  his 
words,  and,  moreover,  to  have  been  distinguished  by  the 
Master's  special  affection.  If  the  claim  is  false,  we  have 
this  curious  paradox  to  justify:  the  New  Testament 
writing  most  eminent  in  ethical  quality  and  spiritual  in- 
sight is  precisely  the  one  that  was  written  by  a  man 
peculiarly  deficient  in  these  qualities.  And  if  we  adopt 
the  view  that  the  claim  was  made,  not  by  the  author,  but 
by  his  disciples  or  an  unknown  editor^ — which  is  probably 
the  fact — we  have  made  the  case  but  a  shade  better.  For 
while  the  explicit  claim  was  probably  the  addition  of  a 
later  hand,  the  apostolfc  authorship  is  implicit  in  the 
whole  book.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  claim  is  true,  we 
have  what  every  Christian  would  most  desire :  a  portrait 
of  our  Lord  and  his  ministry  by  the  one  who  was  nearest 
to  him  and  understood  him  best.^ 

Every  Christian  therefore  is  vitally  interested  to  know 
whether  the  Fourth  Gospel  represents  Jesus  as  he  was, 
and  his  words  substantially  as  they  were  uttered,  or 
whether  it  merely  presents  to  us  what  the  Church  of  the 
second  century  thought  Jesus  ought  to  have  been  and 
ought  to  have  said.  Is  it  true,  as  Loisy  has  said,  that  the 
Gospel  is  not  a  testimony  to  the  life  of  Jesus  on  earth, 
but  to  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  Church  at  the  end  of  the 
first  century?  If  so,  we  have  in  this  Gospel  merely  an 
interesting  historical  document;  but  if  it  is  in  truth  what 
it  claims  to  be,  we  have  a  solid  foundation  for  our  Chris- 
tian faith.  The  reluctance  of  Christian  scholars  to  accept 
the  new  view  of  the  Gospel  is  not  hard  to  understand; 
nevertheless,  no  dread  of  consequences  must  deter  us 
from  seeking  to  know  the  truth  and  weighing  the  evidence 

1  Marcus  Dods,  Introduction  to  the  Gospel  of  John,  "  Expositor's  Greek 
Testament,"  Vol,  I,  p.  655. 


THE   PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I57 

fairl}-.  On  the  other  liand,  we  must  be  permitted  to  say 
that  there  has  been  an  apparent  eagerness  to  discredit 
the  apostohc  authorship  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  remand  its 
testimony  to  the  domain  of  historical  romance,  which 
casts  more  than  a  doubt  upon  the  scientific  impartiality 
of  many  critics. 

The  first  item  of  internal  evidence  of  authorship  that 
demands  attention  is  the  already  mentioned  assertion 
in  the  last  chapter:  "This  is  the  disciple  that  bears 
witness  of  these  things,  and  wrote  these  things:  and 
we  knoxv  that  his  ivitncss  is  true."  These  words,  espe- 
cially the  italicized  clause,  are  obviously  an  editorial  ad- 
dition, and  they  occur  in  a  chapter  that  is,  in  the  opinion 
of  many  scholars,  a  kind  of  appendix  to  the  Gospel  by 
a  later  writer,  not  a  part  of  the  original  book.  In  its 
original  text,  the  Gospel  was  almost  certainly  anonymous. 
But  it  is  more  difficult  to  accept  the  theory  of  a  later 
authorship  for  the  whole  of  the  last  chapter.  The  same 
style  and  vocabulary  and  habits  of  thought  are  found  in 
it  that  we  discover  in  the  preceding  chapters.  The  theory 
of  later  composition  of  the  final  chapter  also  raises  this 
historical  difficulty,  not  less  serious  than  the  literary: 
How  could  such  a  spurious  addition  to  the  work  have 
gained  unopposed  acceptance?  On  the  other  hand,  21  : 
24,  together  with  19  :  35,  and  perhaps  12  :  23  also,  might 
have  been  placed  at  any  time  as  marginal  notes  on  the 
manuscript,  and  afterwards  incorporated  into  the  text 
without  notice  or  opposition. 

Nor  does  it  seem  that  accurate  reasoning  shuts  us  up  to 
the  two  alternatives  proposed  by  some,'  that  these  are 
either  true  ascriptions  of  authorship  or  wilful  misstate- 
ments. There  is  a  third  possibility,  more  probable  than 
either  of  these,  namely,  that  the  author  or  authors  of 

'  Anqong  others,  by  Drummond,  "  Character  and  Authorship  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel,"  London,   1904,  pp.  260,  261. 


158  THE   JOHANNIXE   WRITINGS 

these  interpolated  assertions  of  authorship  beheved  what 
tliey  said  to  be  true,  but  did  not  really  know  it  to  be 
true — that  they  inferred  a  Johannine  authorship  from  the 
character  of  the  document  and  its  general  repute.  Men 
do  not  always  lie  when  they  say  things  contrary  to  fact ; 
they  often  believe  (on  insufficient  grounds,  but  sincerely) 
that  they  speak  according  to  fact.  There  is  nothing  to 
prevent  us  from  accepting  this  as  the  honest  statement 
of  what  was  believed  among  Ephesian  Christians  early  in 
the  second  century.  But,  then,  why  should  they  have  be- 
lieved this  if  it  were  not  true?  Had  they  not  fully  as 
good  opportunities  to  learn  the  real  fact  of  the  case  as 
those  enjoyed  by  the  modern  critic?  While  we  may  not 
receive  their  statement  as  indisputably  true,  there  does 
not  seem  to  be  rational  ground  for  rejecting  it  as  in- 
dubitably false. 

Clearly,  the  verse  would  be  printed  in  a  modern  book 
as  an  editorial  footnote.  Johannine  authorship  is,  there- 
fore, a  claim  explicitly  made  for  the  Gospel,  not  by  the 
Gospel,  "  We  know  that  his  testimony  is  true  "  can  have 
no  possible  meaning  other  than  attestation  of  the  record 
by  those  who  knew  the  author,  either  personally  or  by 
repute.  It  has  been  plausibly  conjectured  that  "  we " 
were  presbyters  of  Ephesus.  All  that  we  know  is  that 
they  vouch  for  the  Gospel  and  its  author;  but  who  will 
vouch  for  these  anonymous  witnesses  of  an  otherwise 
anonymous  writing?  We  have  only  one  voucher,  and, 
after  all,  we  could  hardly  have  a  better,  in  the  fact  that 
their  testimony  was  accepted  without  question  and  be- 
came the  unanimous  belief  of  the  Church.  Surely  that  is 
a  fact  of  no  little  weight.  In  the  absence  of  a  single 
hint  to  the  contrary,  in  all  the  patristic  literature,  it  estab- 
lishes a  presumption  of  the  correctness  of  the  statement 
that  can  be  set  aside  only  by  some  positive  evidence  to 
the  contrary. 


THE  problem:  internal  evidence  159 

Such  evidence  has  been  found,  some  think,  in  the  Gos- 
pel itself.  The  internal  evidence  has  inclined  most  read- 
ers to  believe  that  the  author  was  a  Jev^  and  a  Palestinian, 
which  is  so  far  favorable  to  Johannine  authorship.  But 
this  has  been  stoutly  disputed.  The  author's  frequent 
references  to  "  the  Jews,"  it  is  said,  are  impossible  on 
the  lips  of  a  Jew.  When  it  is  remembered  that  most,  if 
not  all,  of  these  references  apply  to  the  official  representa- 
tives of  the  nation  and  their  adherents — a  party  avowedly 
hostile  to  Jesus  from  the  first — to  whom  Jesus  is  described 
as  continually  making  unsuccessful  appeal;  and  if  it  be 
admitted  that  the  author  was  residing  among  Gentiles 
long  previous  to  writing,  and  that  he  wrote  mainly  for 
Gentile  readers — it  will  then  appear  that  this  is  exactly 
the  way  in  which  he  might  be  expected  to  speak. 

Equally  different  conclusions  have  been  drawn  from 
another  item  of  the  internal  evidence.  The  Gospel  is 
remarkable  for  its  "  local  color,"  its  precision  of  accumu- 
lated detail,  its  accurate  knowledge  of  Jewish  customs,  all 
of  which  are  very  characteristic.  The  Synoptics  are 
content,  for  example,  with  saying  that  a  certain  disciple 
smote  a  servant  of  the  high  priest,  but  this  Gospel  says 
explicitly  that  Peter  struck  and  Malchus  was  injured. 
At  the  anointing  of  Jesus  at  Bethany,  some  disciples  mur- 
mured at  the  waste,  according  to  the  Synoptics ;  but  this 
Gospel  says  Judas  pretended  to  want  the  ointment  sold 
and  the  money  given  to  the  poor,  that  he  might  get  a 
chance  to  embezzle  it.^  The  critic  who  is  determined 
not  to  be  convinced  says  that  these  are  marks,  not  of 
truth,  but  of  artful  verisimilitude,  such  as  a  Defoe  or  a 
Swift  manages  to  give  his  fictions — they  merely  place  the 
Fourth  Gospel  in  the  class  of  "  Robinson  Crusoe  "  and 
"  Gulliver's  Travels,"  as  a  work  of  fancy.    Hostile  criti- 

s  On  these  lifelike  details,  see  E.  F.  Scott,  "  The  Fourth  Gospel,  its  Pur- 
pose and  Theology,"  Edinburgh,  1906,  p.  iS  seq. 


l60  THE   JOHANXIXE   WRITIXGS 

cism  has  changed  its  ground  with  reference  to  such  mat- 
ters as  often  as  the  exigencies  of  the  case  have  required. 
Thus  a  generation  ago,  Baur  and  Bretschneider  contended 
that  there  were  such  geographical  inaccuracies  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel  as  to  prove  conclusively  that  it  could  not  be 
the  work  of  an  apostle  and  eye-witness — no  native  of 
Palestine  could  have  made  such  blunders.  But  later  re- 
search has  so  confirmed  the  accuracy  of  the  Gospel  that 
this  ground  has  been  abandoned.  It  is  now  so  plain  that 
the  author  w^as  a  native  of  Palestine  and  had  so  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  country,  that  Bacon  makes  this  an  ob- 
jection to  the  Johannine  authorship — this  Palestinian 
author  could  not  have  been  for  the  better  part  of  his 
life  a  resident  of  Ephesus!  The  critics  seem  to  have 
borrowed  a  slogan  from  politicians,  "  Anything  to  beat 
John."  He  cannot  be  the  author  of  the  Gospel  because 
it  is  inaccurate,  and  he  cannot  be  the  aiithor  because  it  is 
too  accurate !  O  "  scientific  "  criticism !  What  follies  are 
perpetrated  in  thy  name ! 

Not  to  seem  to  treat  a  grave  subject  with  undue  levity, 
let  us  once  for  all  admit  that  the  internal  evidence  for 
the  Gospel  does  suggest  certain  serious  difficulties  to  one 
who  would  maintain  the  traditional  authorship.  So  much 
may  be  conceded  by  the  most  orthodox  students,  as  well 
as  asserted  by  the  most  radical.  The  real  question  is, 
How  much  weight  is  it  just  to  assign  to  each  of  these 
difficulties,  or  to  all  of  them  combined?  And  on  the 
answer  to  that  question  will  depend  one's  solution  of  the 
Johannine  problem. 

II 

The  prime  difficulty  is  perhaps  the  diflFerence  in  general 
scheme  between  this  Gospel  and  the  Synoptics,  and  the 
new  ideal  of  Jesus  and  his  mission  presented.  From 
the  Synoptics  we  should  hardly  suspect  a  Judean  ministry, 


THE  problem:  internal  evidence  i6i 

l^rior  to  the  final  visit  to  Jerusalem;*  from  the  Fourth 
Gospel  we  should  hardly  suspect  a  Galilean  ministry  of 
any  length.  From  the  Synoptics  the  easiest  inference 
would  certainly  be  that  the  ministry  extended  over  little 
more  than  a  single  year;  while  the  Fourth  Gospel  nar- 
rates a  ministry  of  over  two  years  surely,  possibly  over 
three.  It  may,  of  course,  be  true,  as  all  harmonists  have 
contended,  that  these  schemes  are  not  essentially  incon- 
sistent, that  they  are  in  fact  easily  reconcilable ;  but  they 
are  patently  different.  Yet  more  grave  is  the  difference 
in  conception  of  the  mission  and  work  of  Jesus  that 
characterizes  the  Fourth  Gospel.  The  Synoptics  repre- 
sent Jesus  as  concerned  mainly  with  the  establishment 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  is  Saviour  of  the  world,  to 
be  sure,  but  salvation  consists  in  repentance — a  moral 
right-about-face — and  the  doing  of  righteousness,  that  is, 
coming  into  filial  relation  with  God  and  fraternal  relation 
with  men.  God  welcomes  and  forgives  the  repentant, 
as  a  father  treats  his  erring  son  when  the  wanderer 
returns  to  his  father's  house.  The  Fourth  Gospel  repre- 
sents the  mission  of  Jesus  as  a  revelation  of  the  divine 
glory,  effecting  an  atonement  without  which  forgiveness 
and  salvation  would  have  been  impossible.  As  a  result, 
he  is  able  to  confer  abundant  life,  eternal  life,  on  those 
who  trust  him.  This  Gospel  is  the  necessary  historical 
basis  for  Paul's  theology,  which  cannot  be  deduced  from 
the  Synoptics. 

Is  not  at  least  a  partial  explanation  of  these  phenomena 
possible  without  denial  of  the  historicity  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel?  Why  this  surprise  that  the  ideal  of  Jesus  there 
presented  differs  so  markedly  from  the  earlier  ideal  of 
the  Synoptics?  Did   the   disciples  of  Jesus   come  to  a 

*  Critics  object  that  the  Synoptics  tell  us  of  only  one  visit  to  Jerusalem, 
John  speaks  of  several.  But  the  Synoptics  imply  what  John  tells.  "  O  Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem.  .  .  How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children,"  etc. 
(Matt.  23  :  37;  cf.  Luke  13  :  34.)  This  may  be  called  an  unconscious  testi- 
mony to  the  historicity  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 


l62  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

true  and  full  appreciation  of  his  character  and  mission 
all  at  once?  And  if  the  process  was  a  gradual  one,  what 
guaranty  have  we  that  the  process  was  finished  when  the 
Synoptists  wrote?  If  John  had  nothing  to  add  to  what 
had  already  been  said  about  his  Master,  if  he  had  nothing 
new  to  tell  about  Jesus,  no  fresh  light  to  throw  on  his 
character  or  teaching,  why  break  silence  at  all?  When- 
ever the  Synoptic  Gospels  were  written  in  their  present 
form,  one  cannot  doubt  that  the  materials  of  which 
they  are  composed  were  for  the  most  part  committed  to 
writing  at  an  early  date,  while  the  human  side  of  the  life 
of  Jesus  still  remained  most  vivid  in  the  recollections 
of  his  disciples.  The  Fourth  Gospel  was  composed  a  full 
generation  at  least  after  the  last  of  the  Synoptics,  when 
there  had  been  time  for  reflection  upon  the  meaning  of 
that  life,  and  its  interpretation  in  terms  of  Christian  ex- 
perience— after  the  Pauline  gospel  had  been  widely  pro- 
claimed, with  its  strong  insistence  upon  the  divine  Sonship 
of  Jesus.  It  was  to  be  expected,  therefore,  that  we 
should  have  in  a  Johannine  Gospel  a  very  different  con- 
ception of  the  Christ  character  from  that  entertained  by 
the  first  generation  of  Christians — that  he  should  be  pre- 
sented to  us  as  the  eternal  Word  become  flesh,  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Father  that  Christian  experience  had  found 
him  to  be. 

As  between  the  synoptical  Jesus  and  the  Johannine 
Christ,  which  is  the  true  historical  personage?  Both,  is 
the  correct  answer,  for  the  alternative  is  artificial,  not 
real.  We  are  not,  as  matter  of  fact,  compelled  to  choose 
between  the  Synoptics  and  John:  surely,  the  Christian 
consciousness  of  all  the  centuries  has  not  erred  in  its 
conclusion  that  each  picture  is  true,  while  each  presents 
only  one  side  of  the  truth.  In  other  words,  both  together 
are  truer  than  either  taken  separately.  For  example, 
the  teaching  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  regarding  the  pre- 


THE  problem:  internal  evidence  163 

existence  of  the  Son,  does  not  eontradict  the  Synoptists, 
but  supplements  them.  Preexistence  is  implicit  in  the 
s>Tioptic  idea  of  the  divinity  of  the  Son,  as  the  Church 
soon  perceived  when  all  four  documents  were  before  it. 
Paul's  teaching  helped  to  bring  this  more  quickly  to  the 
consciousness  of  all  Christians,  but  the  process  was  in- 
evitable, and  would  have  been  little  delayed  had  Paul 
never  written  his  Epistles. 

Another  serious  difficulty  that  we  must  consider  is  the 
different  material  contained  in  the  Fourth  Gospel.  The 
waiter  appears  to  have  possessed  and  used  the  Synoptics, 
but  very  slightly.  ]\Iost  of  his  material  is  strictly  orig- 
inal: the  miracle  at  Cana,  the  second  testimony  of  the 
Baptist,  the  conversations  with  Nicodemus  and  the  woman 
of  Samaria,  the  healing  of  the  paralytic  at  Bethesda  and 
of  the  man  born  blind,  and  above  all  the  raising  of 
Lazarus,  with  the  teachings  accompanying  most  of  these 
miracles — all  these  find  not  so  much  as  a  corresponding 
hint  in  the  first  three  Gospels.  But  one  of  the  seven 
miracles  that  he  selects  from  the  entire  ministry  of  Jesus 
for  special  narration  is  told  in  the  Synoptics  (the  feeding 
of  the  multitude),  unless  with  some  we  regard  the  healing 
of  the  nobleman's  son  at  Cana  as  merely  another  version 
of  the  synoptic  story  of  the  healing  of  the  centurion's 
slave  at  Capernaum.  That  seems  rather  too  much  like 
saying  that  Ccesar's  story  of  his  fight  with  the  Nervii  is 
another  version  of  Livy's  account  of  the  battle  of  Cannae. 
To  be  sure,  the  details  of  time  and  place  and  name  are 
quite  dissimilar,  but  the  two  accounts  must  be  different 
versions  of  the  same  event,  because  each  is  the  story 
of  a  battle  fought  by  a  Roman  general.  By  that  sort  of 
reasoning,  which  has  been  too  frequent  in  biblical  criti- 
cism, one  easily  proves  any  event  to  be  identical  with 
any  other.  In  like  manner,  hypermetropic  critics  who 
can  see  much  further  into  a  millstone  than  the  rest  of 


164  THE   JOHANNIXE   WRITINGS 

US  have  suggested  that  the  story  of  the  raisiug  of  Lazarus 
grows  out  of  Luke's  story  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus, 
and  the  hint  of  the  closing  words,  "  Neither  will  they 
be  persuaded  if  one  rise  from  the  dead."  So  the  author 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  made  Lazarus  rise  from  the  dead, 
to  show  that  "  the  Jews  "  were  still  unconvinced !  This 
may  strike  some  as  a  notion  fitter  to  have  emanated  from 
Bedlam  than  from  the  mind  of  a  sober  biblical  scholar, 
yet  no  less  a  critic  than  Schmiedel  admiringly  adopts  it 
from  Bruno  Bauer. 

Another  internal  difBculty  in  this  Gospel  is  said  to 
be  that  the  day  on  which  Jesus  died  differs  from  that 
given  in  the  Synoptics.  It  can  hardly  be  denied  that  such 
is  the  fact,  though  many  scholars  have  striven  desperately 
to  "  reconcile  "  the  two  accounts,  in  the  supposed  inter- 
ests of  orthodoxy.  But  one  can  hardly  read  with  un- 
biased mind  Luke  22  :  7,  13,  15,  and  the  parallel  pas- 
sages in  the  other  Synoptics,  and  avoid  the  conclusion 
that  Jesus  ate  the  Passover  with  his  disciples.  On  the 
other  hand,  one  who  reads  with  equal  impartiality  John 
13  :  i;  18  :  28;  and  19  :  14,  31,  finds  it  equally  dif- 
ficult to  escape  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  crucified  at 
the  time  when  the  Passover  lamb  was  killed.  Only  heroic 
exegesis  will  make  these  two  accounts  agree,  as  candor 
will  in  the  end  compel  all  Christian  scholars  to  recognize. 
Bacon  seems  to  state  the  fact  fairly  when  he  says  that 
Jesus  celebrated  with  his  disciples,  not  the  Passover, 
but  the  Kiddush,  or  preparation  of  the  Passover,  and  that 
the  Fourth  Gospel  has  preserved  a  more  accurate  tradi- 
tion than  the  Synoptics.^  But  his  conclusion  well  illus- 
trates what  seems  to  be  a  rule  of  the  more  radical  critics : 
When  the  Synoptics  contradict  John,  believe  the  Synop- 
tics ;  when  John  contradicts  the  Synoptics,  believe  John. 

*  B.  W.  Bacon,  "  The  Fourth  Gospel  in  Research  and  Debate,"  New  York, 
1910,  p.  260. 


THE    rRUULliM  ;    IXTEKXAL    EVIDENCE  165 

The  beauty  of  this  rule  is  that  by  its  apphcation  each 
evangelist  can  in  turn  be  convicted  of  mistakes  and  in- 
accuracies. 

It  appears,  even  in  the  opinion  of  the  radical  critics, 
that  in  this  instance  to  differ  from  the  Synoptics  is  favor- 
able to  the  credibility  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  What  some 
have  asserted  to  be  a  difficulty  in  accepting  it,  turns  out 
to  be  a  point  in  its  favor.  Besides  the  existence  of  a 
double  tradition  thus  witnessed,  reaching  back  to  apos- 
tolic times,  the  statement  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  the 
necessary  historical  datum  for  explanation  of  the  rise 
and  continuance  of  the  Easter  controversy  of  the  second 
century.  It  is  well  known  that  the  churches  of  Asia 
Minor,  led  by  Ephesus,  were  quartodeciman  ( f ourteenth- 
ers),  that  is,  they  celebrated  the  eucharist  on  the  four- 
teenth of  Nisan,  not  because  Jesus  instituted  the  ordinance 
on  that  day,  but  because  he  died  on  that  day,  and  there- 
fore was  the  true  Paschal  Lamb,  In  this  they  agreed  with 
John  and  contradicted  the  Synoptics.  It  was  on  the  idea 
of  the  celebration  that  the  quartodecimans  differed  from 
others,  quite  as  much  as  on  the  day :  they  commemorated 
the  death  of  Christ  as  the  chief  fact,  rather  than  his  resur- 
rection. The  Talmud  is  said  to  confirm  as  the  true  tradi- 
tion the  account  of  John. 

Many  of  the  "  difficulties  "  vanish  in  like  manner  on 
careful  consideration  of  the  author's  purpose  and  plan, 
which  have  been  fully  treated  in  a  previous  chapter.  This 
is  not  the  case,  however,  with  the  omission  of  any  ac- 
count of  the  institution  of  the  eucharist  in  connection 
with  the  Last  Supper,  and  the  apparent  association  of  it 
with  the  miracle  of  feeding  the  multitude.  It  is  true  that 
many  exegetes  have  denied  this  connection,  but  uncon- 
vincingly;  to  most  readers  of  all  ages,  thought  of  the 
eucharist  has  been  quite  irresistible  when  Jesus  says,  "  He 
that  eats  my  flesh  and  drinks  my  blood  has  eternal  life," 


I66  THE   JOilANJSfliN'E    VVKITINGS 

and  the  rest  of  it.  Whatever  explanation  of  this  omission 
be  suggested  or  adopted,  ignorance  will  never  do.  It  is 
impossible  that  any  writer  between  lOO  and  120  could 
have  been  unaware  that  the  eucharist  was  a  firmly  estab- 
lished Christian  institution,  and  that  tradition  ascribed 
its  institution  to  Jesus  himself.  Spitta  makes  the  in- 
genious suggestion  that  a  leaf  containing  the  account 
of  the  supper  may  have  dropped  out  of  the  original  manu- 
script, which  is  a  solution  rather  too  ingenious  to  be 
acceptable. 

Critics  tell  us  often  that  the  Gospels  are  not  biog- 
raphies, but  belong  to  apologetic  or  polemic  literature ; 
and  then  in  all  their  critical  examinations  and  arguments 
treat  the  Gospels  as  if  they  were  biographical."  They 
argue,  for  example,  that  if  a  writer  does  not  tell  a 
thing  it  is  "  unknown  "  to  him.  Mark  knows  nothing 
of  the  virgin  birth,  because  he  does  not  speak  of  it ; 
and  all  the  Synoptics  were  ignorant  of  the  preexistence 
of  Christ  because  they  do  not  mention  it.  It  cannot  be 
said  too  insistently  that  there  is  no  rational  foundation 
for  such  a  canon  of  criticism.  The  mere  fact  that  a 
writing  does  not  contain  what  we  think  it  should  con- 
tain, is  no  sufficient  ground  for  accusing  the  author 
of  ignorance  or  for  questioning  a  reputed  authorship. 
Who  made  us  judges  of  what  the  apostles  ought  to  say? 
Critics  often  complain  of  modern  books  that  they  show 
unaccountable  omissions;  probably  no  author  lives  who 
has  not  been  told  many  times  by  his  critics  how  much 
better  they  could  have  written  his  book.  The  author 
did  not  estimate  as  the  critic  does  the  relative  importance 
of  things.  Or  he  may  not  choose  to  write  about  what 
he  does  not  fully  understand — which  is  where  the  critic 
usually  has  the  advantage  of  him.    Many  hypotheses  are 

^  As  for  example,  G.  B.  Foster,  "  Finality  of  the  Christian  Religion," 
Chicapro,  1906,  p.  352.  The  apologetic  character  of  the  Gospels  is  no  modern 
discovery;  it  was  recognized  by  Irenaeus,  Adv.  Haer.,  iii,  ii,  i. 


THE   rRUDLliM  :    INTEKiNAL    EVIDENCE  167 

possible,  other  than  a  denial  of  reputed  authorship,  which 
is  the  favorite  resort  of  bibhcal  critics  in  every  difficuhy. 


Ill 

But  perhaps  the  most  serious  obstacle  to  the  acceptance 
of  Johannine  authorship  of  the  Gospel,  or  at  any  rate  to 
its  historicity,  is  found  in  the  discourses  of  Jesus.'  Even 
in  form  the  difference  of  these  discourses  from  those  in 
the  Synoptics  is  striking,  and  the  difference  in  substance 
is  greater  still.  In  form  the  synoptic  discourses  are 
monologues,  while  those  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  are  dia- 
logues. As  to  the  substance,  Renan  has  put  the  matter 
with  his  usual  clarity,  "  If  Jesus  spoke  as  Matthew 
would  have  us  believe,  he  could  not  have  spoken  in  the 
manner  represented  by  John."  The  majority  of  German 
scholars,  and  an  increasing  number  of  French  and  En- 
glish, agree  with  Renan,  though  some  would  state  their 
opinion  more  cautiously. 

The  candid  scholar  cannot  deny  that  this  alleged  dif- 
ference is  real ;  it  is  so  marked  that  no  reader  of  ordinary 
literary  perception  can  fail  to  note  it.  Evidently,  the 
author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  whether  John  the  apostle 
or  another,  has  used  considerable  freedom  in  reporting 
the  discourses  of  Jesus.  Any  report  of  a  discourse  by 
another  is  an  interpretation  as  well  as  a  report:  that  is 
to  say,  unless  a  discourse  is  taken  down  verbatim  in 
shorthand,  a  report  tells  the  impression  that  the  discourse 
made  on  the  reporter.     Longhand  reporting  is,  as  any- 

■^  Some  have  receivecl  an  impresston  from  a  cursory  reading  of  the  Gos- 
pels that  the  Fourth  differs  from  the  earlier  three  in  the  lengthy  of  the  dis- 
courses attributed  to  Jesus.  This  is  a  case  of  hasty  generalization.  There 
is  a  difference,  but  it  i=;  not  so  much  in  John's  giving  longer  discourses  as 
that  he  reports  fewer  short  sayings  than  the  Synoptics.  Careful  study  and 
an  accurate  tabulation  of  facts  shows  that  John  reports  twenty  brief  dis- 
courses (of  three  to  ten  verses  each)  to  Matthew's  sixteen;  while  of  moder- 
ately long  discourses  (ten  to  twenty  verses)  he  has  but  three  to  Matthew's 
eight;  and  of  quite  long  (exceeding  twenty  verses)  but  three  to  Matthew's 
four.  (Drummond,  p.  17.)  One  of  the  remarkable  things  about  biblical 
criticism  is  that  it  has  always  known,  so  many  things  that  aren't  so. 


-1^ 


l68  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

body  knows  who  has  had  experience  in  doing  it,  a  com- 
plex psychologic  process,  and  the  result  represents  the 
mental  activities  of  the  reporter  as  well  as  those  of  the 
speaker.  The  longer  the  time  that  elapses  between  the 
speech  and  the  writing  of  the  report,  the  more  of  the  re- 
porter's mentality  is  likely  to  become  embodied  in  the 
report.  This  may  happen  without  impairment  of  the 
substantial  correctness  of  the  report:  not  always  the  exact 
words  of  the  speaker,  but  always  his  vital  meaning,  will 
be  conveyed  by  a  good  reporter. 

So,  when  certain  critics  assure  us  that  the  contrasts 
between  the  synoptic  discourses  and  those  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel  are  too  great  to  be  explained  away,^  one  may 
reply :  *'  Nobody  is  at  all  interested  to  explain  them  away. 
The  question  is.  How  are  they  best  to  be  accounted  for  ?  " 
If  John  or  another  is  the  composer  of  these  discourses, 
and  so  is  to  be  accounted  a  poet  or  religious  romancer, 
and  not  a  recorder  of  historical  fact,  we  have  this  aston- 
ishing phenomenon :  The  author  of  the  most  profound 
and  eloquent  religious  teaching  in  the  history  of  the 
world  was  not  Jesus,  and  men  have  been  altogether  astray 
in  hailing  him  as  the  Great  Teacher  of  mankind,  for  here 
was  a  disciple  who  was  greater  than  his  Master.  Is  that 
credible?  Is  not  almost  any  other  hypothesis  more 
credible  than  that?  Is  not  the  solution  proffered  by  the 
great  exegete,  Meyer,  much  preferable?  Aleyer  says: 
"  The  manifestation  of  Jesus  as  the  divine-human  life 
was  intrinsically  too  rich,  grand,  and  manifold  not  to  be 
represented  variously,  according  to  the  varying  individ- 
ualities by  which  its  rays  were  caught,  and  according  to 
the  more  or  less  ideal  points  of  view  from  which  those 
rays  were  reflected." 

But  while  we  fully  admit  and  even  insist  upon  all  facts 

8  H.   L.   Jackson,   "  The   Fourth   Gospel   and   Some   Recent   German  Criti- 
cism," p.  i6i. 


THE    PROJiLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I69 

disclosed  by  most  thorough  exegetical  and  literary  study 
of  the  Gospel,  we  may  be  allowed  also  to  enter  protest 
against  exaggeration  of  fact  and  erroneous  conclusion 
from  fact.  Those  critics  have  gone  too  far  who  have 
declared  that  a  Jesus  who  could  teach  as  in  the  Synop- 
tics, and  at  the  same  time  as  in  John,  is  "  a  psychologic 
impossibility  " — if  due  regard  is  had,  that  is  to  say,  to 
differences  of  mentality  between  the  reporters.  The  con- 
trast is  no  greater,  to  say  the  least,  than  that  between 
the  style  of  Daniel  Webster's  public  orations,  revised 
by  himself  and  so  representing  his  style  at  what  he  at 
least  believed  to  be  its  best,  and  the  conversations  re- 
ported by  his  friend  Harvey.  As  has  often  been  pointed 
out,  the  contrast  is  no  greater  than  between  the  dis- 
courses of  Socrates  as  reported  by  Xenophon  in  his 
"  Memorabilia  "  and  those  in  the  "  Dialogues  "  of  Plato. 
Each  reporter  has  put  a  large  part  of  his  own  personality 
into  his  account  of  the  philosopher's  teachings,  but  un- 
derneath either  we  may  perceive  the  true  Socrates,  and 
from  both  together  we  get  a  better  portrait  of  the  man 
than  either  would  be  taken  separately.  Xenophon,  like 
the  Synoptists,  has  probably  kept  closer  to  the  exact 
words  of  his  master,  while  '  Plato,  like  the  Fourth  Gos- 
pel, has  better  interpreted  his  profounder  teachings. 

Critics  have  been  without  due  warrant  of  fact  when 
they  have  urged  that  the  writer  of  the  Gospel  makes 
John,  Nicodemus,  the  blind  man,  Pilate,  and  Jesus  all 
speak  in  the  same  manner,  namely,  the  author's.  Those 
scholars  have  shown  better  literary  discernment  who 
have  praised,  as  one  of  the  striking  characteristics  of  the 
Gospel,  the  clear  discrimination  of  these  personalities 
from  each  other  and  their  vivid  individualization.     And 

*  The  fact  that  there  is  a  large  recognizahle  personal  element  in  the 
Synoptics,  as^  well  as  in  the  Fourth  Gospel,  and  the  early  recognition  of  thi-^ 
fact  by  tlie  Church,  we  may  safely  infer  from  the  ancient  titles  of  the  honks: 
{eiiayyiXiov)  Kara  Toi'  Mapicor,  etc. — not  the  Good  News  pure  and  simple,  but 
the  ideal  of  the  Good  News  presented  by  Mark  or  Matthew  or  Luke. 


I/O  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

there  is  more  difference  between  the  discourses  and  the 
narrative  than  many  critics  have  been  able  or  wilHng 
to  see.  Further  still,  the  contrast  between  the  synoptic 
discourses  and  these  is  not  so  violent  as  many  critics 
have  represented.  Lest  these  be  taken  as  mere  un- 
founded assertions,  here  are  a  few  pertinent  facts :  The 
author  puts  into  the  mouth  of  Jesus  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  words  never  used  elsewhere  in  the  Gospel,  and 
thirty-eight  of  these  are  used  in  the  synoptic  accounts 
of  the  words  of  Jesus.  Godet  has  prefixed  to  his  Com- 
mentary a  list  of  twenty-eight  sayings  in  the  Fourth 
Gospel  that  are  identical,  or  nearly  so,  with  others  in 
the  Synoptists.  Any  reader  may  discover  for  himself 
passages  here  and  there  in  the  first  three  Gospels  that 
are  quite  in  the  style  of  the  Fourth;  as: 

All  things  have  been  delivered  to  me  by  my  Father; 
And  no  one  knows  the  Son  save  the  Father; 
Nor  does  any  know  the  Father  save  the  Son, 
And  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  wills  to  reveal  him.'" 

These  are  strikingly  like  words  in  the  Fourth  Gospel: 

The  Father  loves  the  Son, 

And  has  given  all  things  into  his  hand. 

Not  that  any  man  has  seen  the  Father, 

Save  he  who  is  from  God, 

He  has  seen  the  Father." 

And  we  do  find  in  the  Fourth  Gospel's  discourses  that 
same  Hebraistic  construction  of  sentences,  that  entire 
absence  of  the  true  period,  that  rhythmic  parallelism 
and  antithesis  which  are  characteristic  of  the  synoptic 
reports,  because  they  are  the  characteristics  of  all  He- 
brew poetry.     The  adequate  translation  and  editing  of 


"Matt.  II  :  27;  Luke  10  :  22. 

11  John   1  :  35;    6  :  46.     1 
from  Mattnew,  or  lice  versa 


John   3  :  35;   6  :  46.     The   critics  should   now   insist  that  John  copied 
"he 


THE    I'KOiiLEM  :    IMEKXAL    EVIDENCE  17I 

the  four  Gospels  causes  a  total  disappearance  of  the 
greater  part  of  their  apparent  unlikeness  in  their  ordinary 
English  dress.  Let  the  reader  turn  to  the  second  part 
of  this  work,  where  an  attempt  has  been  made  at  such 
editing  of  the  discourses  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  and  judge 
this  matter  for  himself. 

All  critics  agree  with  tradition  in  at  least  one  important 
matter :  that  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  was  farthest 
in  time  of  composition  from  the  time  in  which  the 
discourses  were  delivered.  This  does  not  exclude  the 
hypothesis  that  he  may  have  made  notes,  at  the  time  or 
soon  afterward,  from  which  his  fuller  report  was  after- 
ward elaborated.  As  already  pointed  out,  we  might 
reasonably  expect  that  this  interval,  with  its  opportunities 
for  frequent  meditation  on  the  meaning  of  his  Mas- 
ter's words,  and  the  light  thrown  upon  them  by  a  whole 
generation  of  Christian  experience,  would  afTect  the 
manner  of  reporting  the  discourses.  But  there  is  an- 
other consideration,  to  which  sufficient  weight  has  not 
always  been  attached:  Jesus  spoke  in  Aramaic,  and  the 
earliest  report  of  his  words  was,  according  to  Papias, 
made  by  Matthew  in  that  language.  All  the  reports  that 
we  now  have,  therefore,  are  translations  from  Aramaic 
into  Greek — made  we  know  not  when  or  by  whom,  in 
the  case  of  the  Synoptics.  If  we  accept  the  view  that 
the  Synoptics  give  us  variant  readings  of  a  common 
source  for  the  discourses,  nothing  hinders  our  regarding 
the  discourses  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  as  an  independent 
version.  The  turning  of  the  Aramaic  words  of  Jesus 
into  Greek  by  dififerent  persons  must  be  expected  to 
show  considerable  variations  of  style,  since  no  translator 
can  help  infusing  something  of  himself  into  his  author, 
and  some  make  a  paraphrase  rather  than  a  literal  render- 
ing of  their  author's  words.  It  :  ^  recorded  of  the  great 
English  scholar  Bentley  that  after  reading  Pope's  transla- 


172  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

tion  of  the  Iliad  he  said,  "  A  very  pretty  poem,  ]\Ir.  Pope, 
but  you  must  not  call  it  Homer."  Any  one  who  can  read 
the  Iliad  in  the  original  must  feel  the  justice  of  this  criti- 
cism: and  yet  he  must  also  admit  that  Pope  has  turned 
into  English  the  substance  of  the  Iliad. 

Another  explanation  of  these  differences  of  style  has 
been  either  overlooked  or  underestimated  by  many  critics : 
While  the  Synoptists  present  the  kingdom  as  the  main 
theme  of  discourse,  the  Fourth  Gospel  presents  the  King. 
It  is  the  character  of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  Son  of  God, 
that  the  writer  keeps  ever  before  us.  And  he  represents 
Jesus  as  making  appeal  again  and  again  in  this  character 
to  the  hostile  "  Jews,"  the  officials  and  leaders  and  teach- 
ers of  the  nation.  Hence,  while  in  the  Synoptics  Jesus  is 
didactic,  ever  instructing  his  disciples,  or  those  in  the 
main  favorable  to  him,  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  he  is 
nearly  always  polemic  or  apologetic,  because  he  is  speak- 
ing to  those  who  are  either  doubtful  about  his  claims 
or  openly  hostile  to  them.  Hence,  while  there  is  scope 
for  great  variety  of  discourse  in  the  Synoptics,  there  is 
practically  only  one  theme  for  all  the  discourses  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  differences  we  have  been 
discussing  shatter  into  bits  the  once  generally  maintained 
theory  of  verbal  inspiration,  and  the  consequent  infallible 
authority  of  the  last  syllable  of  the  Gospels.  We  must 
have  a  new  method  of  study.  The  old  style  of  gram- 
matical exegesis,  insisting  that  to  fix  definitely  the  mean- 
ing of  every  preposition  and  particle  was  of  utmost  im- 
portance, since  these  expressed  the  mind  of  Christ,  has 
become  unthinkable.  A  more  broad  and  rational  inter- 
pretation is  demanded  by  the  revised  idea  of  inspiration 
that  the  facts  absolutely  compel.  But  all  this  affords 
no  ground  for  questioning  the  historicity  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel.    A  human  element  in  the  Scriptures  is  now  as 


THE  problem:  ixternal  evidence  173 

clearly  allowed  by  orthodox  theologians  as  insisted  on  by 
radicals.  If  the  human  element  is  larger  in  the  Fourth 
Gospel  than  in  the  Synoptics,  as  may  be  justly  inferred 
from  the  facts,  the  orthodox  need  not  be  alarmed  by  the 
conclusion,  for  the  radical  is  wrong  to  make  this  a  reason 
for  declining  to  receive  the  Gospel's  testimony.  There 
is  no  good  reason  assignable  why  "  John  "  may  not  be 
regarded  as  trustworthy  as  Plato. 

But  if  the  radical  critics  often  claim  too  much,  so  do 
the  orthodox.  It  is  not  fair  to  argue,  as  Godet  and 
others  have  urged,  that  for  "  John  "  to  compose,  to  in- 
vent, as  some  say,  the  discourses  attributed  to  Jesus,  is 
a  theory  that  involves  psychological  absurdity  and  moral 
impossibility.  That  theory  may  present  a  psychological 
problem,  but  it  is  not  insoluble.  If  the  author  regarded 
his  Gospel,  as  some  critics  would  have  us  regard  it,  as  an 
ideal  portrait  of  Jesus,  a  historical  romance  or  poem, 
the  difficulty  is  eliminated.  To  put  into  the  mouth  of 
Jesus  words  that  he  never  uttered  is  precisely  what 
Alilton  has  done  on  a  large  scale  in  "  Paradise  Regained," 
and  nobody  supposes  that  any  serious  psychological  or 
ethical  difficulties  are  involved  in  his  work.  A  great 
deal  of  pious  twaddle,  to  speak  plainly,  has  been  put  forth 
by  defenders  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  The  real  question 
to  decide  is,  Shall  we  accept  the  Gospel  as,  on  the  whole, 
a  faithful  representation  of  Jesus  and  his  teaching,  as 
seen  and  understood  by  his  most  spiritual-minded  dis- 
ciple ?  or,  Shall  we  regard  the  Gospel  as  a  romantic  poem, 
a  religious  epic,  of  which  Jesus  is  the  hero,  written  prob- 
ably by  a  man  who  had  no  personal  acquaintance  with 
him? 

John  20  :  31  is  the  rock  on  which  the  poetical  romance 
theory  strikes  and  breaks  into  pieces :  "  These  things 
are  written  that  you  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Mes- 
siah the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  believing  you  may  have 


174  '^'HE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

life  in  his  name."  The  writer  was  at  least  a  man  of  in-. 
telligence;  how  could  he  have  expected  to  win  converts 
to  Jesus  by  a  work  that  was  mainly  or  quite  fictitious? 
Milton  hoped  to  interest  and  please  and  possibly  to  in- 
struct men  by  his  "  Paradise  Regained,"  but  surely  he 
never  expected  to  persuade  men  to  believe  it.  His  pur- 
pose was  purely  literary;  the  author  of  the  Gospel  an- 
nounces a  purpose  purely  religious.  The  internal  evi- 
dence will  not  sustain  the  theory  of  romance  or  epic. 
The  writer's  purpose  is  witnessed  not  only  by  his  words, 
but  by  his  spirit  throughout ;  he  is  in  too  deadly  earnest 
for  fiction.  He  impresses  us  as  one  who,  whether  he 
rightly  understood  his  Master  or  not,  whether  he  ac- 
curately remembers  the  words  of  Jesus  or  not,  honestly 
gives  us  the  character  and  teaching  of  his  Lord  as  he 
comprehended  both. 

On  the  whole,  we  may  conclude  that  the  diflferences 
between  the  Synoptics  and  the  Fourth  Gospel — real  dif- 
ferences, though  often  exaggerated,  and  as  often  inde- 
fensibly denied — make  the  acceptance  of  the  book  by  the 
Church  inexplicable,  except  on  the  ground  that  at  the 
time  of  its  publication  all  Christians  felt  certain  of  its 
authorship  and  historicity.  From  this  point  of  view  the 
differences,  instead  of  weakening  confidence  in  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  Gospel,  actually  strengthen  the  evidence  in 
its  favor.  Those  who  originally  accepted  it  were  much 
influenced,  no  doubt,  as  we  should  be,  by  the  essential 
character  of  the  book.  The  Fourth  Gospel  is  a  work 
of  genius ;  it  combines  in  an  extraordinary  way  deep 
spiritual  insight  with  fine  literary  art.  Its  ideas  are  few, 
but  they  are  of  great  importance ;  they  have  been  deeply 
meditated  and  are  set  forth  with  clearness  and  force. 
The  author  was  both  thinker  and  poet ;  but  though  the 
form  is  often  mystical  and  symbolic,  the  content  is  never 
doubtful. 


THE    PRORLExM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I75 

It  is  notable  that  one  of  the  late  German  critics,  and 
not  the  least  scholarly,  defends  the  essential  authenticity 
and  historicity  of  the  Gospel.  Wendt  maintains  that  the 
discourses  existed  first,  and  are  from  the  hand  of  John 
the  apostle.  These  were  combined  with  a  historical  nar- 
rative by  a  later  writer,  very  much  as  most  scholars  now 
believe  the  First  Gospel  to  have  been  composed.  Wendt 
would  ascribe  to  the  awkwardness  of  this  unknown 
editor-author  the  curious  displacement  of  discourses  that 
is  undeniable  in  the  present  text  of  the  Gospel,  for  which 
we  feel  impelled  to  find  some  sort  of  explanation  and 
rectification.  He  concludes  his  study  with  the  statement 
that  the  discourses  "  may  be  taken  as  utterances  of  the 
historic  Jesus,  such  as  the  synoptic  sources  reveal  him," 
and  that  "  the  Fourth  Gospel,  as  we  have  it,  was  not 
written  by  the  apostle  John,  but  contains  the  Memoirs  of 
John."  ^-  But  the  weight  of  opinion  is  against  this  twin- 
authorship,  and  the  general  view  of  the  book  is  better 
presented  by  Holtzmann :  "  All  attempts  to  draw  a  clearly 
distinguishable  line  of  demarcation,  whether  it  be  between 
earlier  and  later  strata,  or  between  genuine  and  not 
genuine,  historical  and  unhistorical  elements,  must  always 
be  wrecked  against  the  solid  and  compact  unity  that  the 
work  presents,  both  in  regard  to  language  and  in  regard 
to  matter."  Keim  was  so  impressed  by  this  quality  of 
the  book  that  he  called  it  "  the  seamless  coat."  All  of 
Wendt's  ingenuity,  therefore,  fails  to  convince  us  of  the 
composite  nature  of  the  Gospel,  and  his  theory  of  the  pre- 
existence  of  the  discourses  stands  or  falls  with  that. 

The  valuable  contribution  made  by  Wendt  to  the  litera- 
ture of  the  subject  is  his  vindication  of  the  historical 
value  of  the  Gospel.  He  confirms  what  has  already  been 
said  above:  "When  the  discourses  of  one  man  are  pre- 

"H.  H.   Wendt,   "The  Gospel  of  Saint  John,"   Edinburgh,    1902,  p.   188 
Seq. 


176  TflE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

served  tlirougli  the  aiediuni  of  another  who  possesses  a 
strong  individuality,  and,  in  consequence,  an  individual 
style  of  thought  and  speech,  it  is  possible  for  the  second 
to  assimilate  the  manner  of  discourse  to  his  own,  while 
the  matter,  the  real  meaning  of  the  original,  is  correctly 
reproduced."  ^^'  Instead,  therefore,  of  finding  absolute 
contrariety  between  the  two  types  of  discourse  attributed 
to  Jesus,  Wendt  finds  essential  affinity.  He  takes  issue 
with  that  large  body  of  critics  who  have  been  assuring 
us  that  the  value  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  not  in  its  his- 
torical verity,  but  its  vividness  as  a  personal  impres- 
sion: the  truth  of  it  is  not  objective,  but  subjective;  not 
historical,  but  psychological — we  learn  from  it  not  what 
Jesus  actually  was,  but  how  Jesus  impressed  himself  upon 
one  of  his  disciples.  Very  plausible  at  first  sight,  but 
after  a  little  it  occurs  to  one  to  ask.  How  did  John  or 
some  one  get  this  vivid  impression  from  something  non- 
existent? Is  it  not  truer  to  psychology  as  well  as  to 
history  to  hold  with  Wendt  that  Jesus  made  upon  John 
the  impression  recorded  in  the  Gospel  because  he  was 
that  kind  of  man  and  teacher?  In  other  words.  Can  we 
have  a  portrait  of  Jesus  that  is  psychologically  true  and 
at  the  same  time  historically  false  ? 

An  attempt  has  been  made  to  avoid  the  difficulties  that 
are  conceived  to  beset  both  the  traditional  hypothesis  and 
the  extreme  critical  theories.  Weizsacker  and  Schurer 
may  be  named  among  those  scholars  who  have  thus  tried 
to  find  a  middle-of-the-road  solution.  Matthew  Arnold 
has  stated  this  mediating  theory  with  his  usual  felicity 
of  phrase  ^*  : 

"  In  his  old  age  Saint  John  at  Ephesus  has  '  logia,' 
sayings  of  the  Lord,  and  has  incidents  in  the  Lord's  story 

'*  Wendt,  pp.  206,  2:3. 

"  "  God  and  the  Bible,"  pp.  256,  257. 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  I// 

which  have  not  been  published  in  any  of  the  written  ac- 
counts that  were  beginning  at  that  time  to  be  handed 
about.  The  elders  of  Ephesus,  whom  tradition  afterward 
makes  into  apostles,  fellows  of  Saint  John,  move  him 
to  bestow  this  treasure  upon  the  world.  He  gives  his 
materials,  and  the  presbytery  of  Ephesus  provides  a 
redaction  for  them  and  publishes  them.  The  redaction 
with  its  unity  of  tone,  its  flowingness  and  connectedness, 
is  by  one  single  hand :  the  hand  of  a  man  of  literary 
talent,  a  Greek  Christian,  whom  the  Church  of  Ephesus 
found  proper  for  such  a  task.  A  theological  lecturer, 
perhaps,  as  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  he  so  often  shows  him- 
self, a  theological  lecturer,  an  earlier  and  nameless  Origen, 
who  in  this  one  short  composition  produced  a  work  out- 
weighing all  the  folios  of  all  the  Fathers,  but  was  content 
that  his  name  should  be  written  in  the  Book  of  Life." 

\"ery  modest  of  this  gifted  unknown,  to  be  sure,  but 
could  a  man  capable  of  such  literary  achievement  hide  his 
light  under  a  bushel  so  completely  ?  Not  to  mention  that 
no  great  work  of  literary  art,  ancient  or  modern,  was  ever 
produced  by  this  method.  Though  a  plausible  hypothesis 
at  first  blush,  this  would  not  be  entertained  for  a  moment 
in  the  case  of  a  literary  masterpiece  outside  of  the  Bible. 
And  the  Fourth  Gospel  is  a  literary  masterpiece.  The 
writer  was  the  greatest  spiritual  genius,  as  Mr.  Arnold 
recognizes,  of  early  Christianity,  especially  if  he  com- 
posed the  discourses  of  Jesus  instead  of  reporting  them, 
and  it  required  hardly  less  genius  to  appreciate  and  repro- 
duce than  to  compose.  Only  a  great  soul  and  a  great 
intellect  were  equal  to  this  task,  and  together  these  con- 
stituted the  author  of  this  book  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able men  of  his  time,  or  of  all  times.  Yet  most  of  the 
critical  theories  require  us  to  believe  that  the  man  capable 
of  producing  this  incomparable  work  was  some  obscure, 

M 


1/8  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

anonymous  personage,  who  made  so  little  impression 
upon  his  age  that  his  personality  was  at  once  forgotten, 
and  perhaps  even  his  name.  The  utter  futility  of  such 
explanations  of  the  origin  of  the  Gospel  has  been  well 
satirized  by  Ebrard,  who  says  that  the  critical  theories 
reduce  themselves  to  this  formula :  "  At  that  time  it  came 
to  pass — that  nothing  came  to  pass." 

Denial  of  the  Johannine  authorship  appears  on  exam- 
ination to  involve  difficulties  as  great  as  any  suggested  by 
the  traditional  theory.  It  requires  quite  as  great  an  effort 
of  faith,  not  to  say  credulity,  to  accept  the  new  version 
of  origin  as  to  hold  fast  to  the  old.  Even  the  most 
plausible  of  the  critical  theories  escapes  the  most  serious 
of  these  difficulties  only  by  maintaining  a  virtual  Johan- 
nine origin  of  the  Gospel.  But  if  the  material  of  the  book 
is  Johannine,  and  only  the  final  form  was  given  to  it  by 
somebody  else,  what  has  the  critic  left  that  is  worth  con- 
tending for  ?  Why  invent  a  **  redactor  "  to  replace  the 
traditional  John,  if,  after  all,  the  substance  of  the  book 
is  his  ? 

It  is  not  pretended  that  this  discussion  of  difficulties 
and  objections  is  even  approximately  exhaustive.  There 
is  the  less  necessity  of  examining  in  detail  many  of  the 
objections  that  have  been  raised,  in  that  the  later  critics 
have  so  often  confuted  the  earlier,  and  a  large  number 
of  once  urged  "  difficulties  "  are  admitted  to  be  no  longer 
difficult.  Better  knowledge  has  disposed  of  some,  and 
better  reasoning  of  others.  To  discuss  details  like  these 
would  only  be  to  obscure  what  Is  perfectly  clear.  For  the 
real  difficulties  have  been  sufficiently  considered,  and 
found  to  be  less  serious  than  they  are  often  asserted  to  be. 

To  sum  up  our  conclusion  thus  far:  There  is  nothing 
in  either  the  external  or  the  internal  testimony  now 
available  to  us  regarding  the  authorship  and  historicity 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  that  is  irreconcilable  with  the  uni- 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I79 

versal  opinion  in  the  Church,  from  Irenseus  onward,  that 
this  book  is  the  work  of  John  the  apostle.  The  evidence 
cannot  be  said  either  to  prove  or  to  disprove  this  author- 
ship beyond  a  reasonable  doubt,  but  the  doubt  seems  to 
be  little  greater  than  in  the  case  of  the  Gospels  of 
Mark  and  Luke.  Criticism  has  not  disproved  a  Johannine 
authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  but  rather  tends  to 
establish  the  credibility  of  the  tradition  that  uniformly 
connects  with  this  book  the  name  of  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved. 

IV 

So  far  as  it  goes,  probably  no  more  sensible  conclusion 
is  possible  than  that  of  Professor  Jiilicher,  of  Marburg, 
who  pronounces  the  Apocalypse  to  be  "  the  work  of  a 
Christian  of  about  the  year  95,  who  in  many  places  in- 
serted older  apocalyptic  fragments,  more  or  less  ade- 
quately harmonized  with  the  context."  ^^  This  is  better 
in  accord  with  the  testimony  of  the  book  itself  than  the 
theory  of  Von  Soden,  who  believes  that  a  Christian  writer 
adopted  bodily  an  older  Jewish  apocalypse,  and  adapted  it 
to  his  purposes.  The  first  seven  chapters  are  mostly 
new  matter  contributed  by  this  Christian  author:  the 
Jewish  apocalypse  begins  with  chapter  8  and  extends  to 
22  :  5,  the  Christian  appending  a  conclusion  of  his  own. 
The  Jewish  writing  was  probably  composed  between  May 
and  August,  A.  D.  70,  during  the  impending  fall  of  Jeru- 
salem. Twenty  years  afterward  Christians  found  them- 
selves in  a  similar  predicament  under  Domitian,  and  the 
stress  of  persecution  produced  the  Apocalypse.^''  Pro- 
fessor Bacon  is  confident  that  the  Apocalypse  has  a  Pales- 
tinian origin,  excepting  the  introductory  letters  to  the 

^'A.   Julicher,  "Introduction  to  the   New  Testament,"   New   York,    1904. 
p.  290. 

^*H.  Von  Soden,  "Early  Christian  Literature,"  New  York,  1906,  p.  346. 


l80  THE   JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

seven  churches,  and  that  the  ascription  of  the  book  to 
John  of  Ephesus  as  author  is  a  literary  fiction.^' 

One  admires,  at  a  respectful  distance,  the  unabashed 
audacity  of  such  guesses.  They  do  great  credit  to  the 
mental  agility  of  their  authors.  But  when  they  are  labeled 
"  scientific  criticism  "  and  put  forth  as  the  last  word  of 
serious  biblical  scholarship,  it  becomes  a  duty  to  point 
out  that  they  are  nothing  more  than  the  baseless  fabric 
of  a  vision.  If  out  of  the  most  admired  disorder  of 
"  critical  "  theories  we  must  choose  one  as  the  least  im- 
probable, that  of  Julicher  will  serve.  It  has  the  merit  of 
resolving  at  once  most  of  the  fancied  difficulties,  and  all 
the  real,  that  have  been  found  in  the  style  and  vocabulary 
of  the  book.  The  use  of  a  number  of  sources,  selected 
fragments  of  which  were  translated  from  Aramaic  into 
what  the  author  supposed  was  Greek,  will  explain  the 
occasional  characteristics  of  literary  patchwork  observ- 
able, while  the  deeper  and  unmistakable  indications  of  a 
single  directing  intelligence  throughout  are  not  ignored, 
as  they  are  in  Bousset's  remark :  "  It  seems  to  be  settled 
that  the  Apocalypse  can  no  longer  be  regarded  as  a 
literary  unity."  ^^  On  the  contrary,  if  anything  is  settled 
about  the  Apocalypse,  it  is  that  it  possesses  a  unity  like 
that  of  a  holograph. 

But  this  conclusion  as  to  unity  is  entirely  non-committal 
as  to  the  further  inquiries.  Who  was  this  Christian  writer? 
and,  if  we  accept  the  assertion  of  the  text  that  his  name 
was  John,  Was  he  the  apostle  or  some  other  John?  Pro- 
fessor Bacon  declares  it  to  be  "  an  axiom  of  criticism  .  .  . 
that  the  author  of  the  Revelation  is  a  totally  different 
individual  from  the  author  of  the  '  Johannine  '  Gospel  and 
Epistles."  ^^     If  one  pursues  studies  in  biblical  criticism 

"Bacon,  "Fourth  Gospel,"  pp.  180-182. 
^8  Encyclopedia  Biblka,  art.  "  Apocalypse." 
"Bacon,  "Fourth  Gospel,"  p.  178. 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  151 

only  a  little  way,  he  will  encounter  many  such  "  axioms," 
and  will  discover  for  himself  a  very  important  difference 
between  an  axiom  of  criticism  and  an  axiom  of  mathe- 
matics :  the  latter  is  accepted  by  all  men  of  normal  reason- 
ing powers,  while  the  former  is  accepted  only  by  those 
who  happen  to  agree  with  the  critic.  Professor  Harnack, 
for  example,  a  scholar  whose  attainments  and  conclusions 
Professor  Bacon  would  probably  admit  to  be  entitled  to 
equal  weight  with  his  own,  is  so  little  of  the  opinion  that 
we  have  here  an  axiom  of  criticism  that  he  regards  John 
the  presbyter  as  the  probable  author  of  all  the  Johannine 
writings.-"  However,  he  stands  sole  among  German 
scholars  in  this  conclusion,  it  is  true ;  still,  while  his 
authority  settles  nothing,  nothing  that  he  disputes  can 
well  be  called  "  axiomatic  "  in  criticism. 

It  is  again  on  differences  of  style  that  the  modern 
"  chorizantes "  chiefly  depend  to  make  out  their  case. 
There  are  real  differences  of  style  between  the  Apocalypse 
and  the  Fourth  Gospel.  Those  who  maintain  a  single 
authorship  must  admit  them.  We  have  already  had 
occasion  to  note  the  most  serious  of  these  differences. 
The  Greek  of  the  Apocalypse  is  very  bad,  almost  the 
worst  conceivable,  while  the  Greek  of  the  Gospel  is  good, 
though  not  so  good  as  that  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke  or  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  It  is  the  Greek  of  a  Hebrew, 
and  one  of  the  chief  differences  between  the  Greek  lan- 
guage and  the  Hebrew  is  the  richness  of  the  former 
in  particles  and  its  consequent  ability  to  express  nice 
shades  of  thought  and  to  wxave  sentences  together  in 
close  texture.  As  we  have  already  seen,  after  the  He- 
brew fashion,  the  Fourth  Gospel  almost  ignores  particles. 
The  result  of  this  idiosyncrasy  of  the  writer  is  that  we 
find  obscurity  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  where  a  Greek  writer 

20  A.  Harnack,  "  Chronologie  dcr  altchristlichcr  Litteratur,"  pp.  67s,  note, 
677,  680,  note  3. 


l82  THE   JOJIANNINE    WRITINGS 

would  have  made  himself  perfectly  understood.  This  is 
the  easiest  of  the  Gospels  to  translate  and  the  hardest 
to  interpret.  But  when  we  turn  to  the  Apocalypse,  we 
find  the  same  habits  of  thought  and  language,  only  inten- 
sified. There  is  hardly  a  sentence  that  does  not  contain 
words,  phrases,  ideas  derived  from  Hebrew  prophecy, 
especially  from  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel.  The  mentality  of  the 
two  books  is  the  same :  the  literary  habits  are  of  the  same 
type,  the  only  difference  being  that  the  Gospel  approxi- 
mates more  nearly  correct  Greek.  There  is  surely  some- 
thing in  the  suggestion  that  has  often  been  made:  that 
if  we  concede  an  interval  of  a  decade  or  more  between  the 
composition  of  the  two  books,  a  writer  of  Hebrew  birth 
who  in  the  meantime  lived  among  Greek-speaking  people 
might  easily  have  acquired  the  additional  skill  in  use  of 
the  language  that  the  Gospel  displays  over  the  Apocalypse. 
And  impartial  criticism,  while  it  recognizes  these  dif- 
ferences of  style,  and  grants  them  their  due  weight,  will 
also  be  careful  to  grant  them  no  more  than  their  due 
weight.  It  will  take  into  account  as  well  the  resemblances 
of  style  and  vocabulary  that  careful  study  discloses. 
Many  commentators  and  critics  have  given  partial  lists  of 
words  and  phrases,  amounting  to  one  hundred  or  more, 
that  are  common  to  the  Johannine  writings,  many  of 
which  are  characteristic  words.  But  in  the  Excursus  fol- 
lowing this  chapter  will  be  found  what  is  believed  to  be 
the  first  complete  analysis  of  the  Johannine  vocabulary; 
and  at  any  rate,  there  will  be  found  the  only  satisfactory 
basis  for  deductions  concerning  the  style  of  the  various 
books,  so  far  as  style  and  vocabulary  are  identical.  It  will 
be  apparent  to  any  one  who  examines  these  lists  with  care 
that  many  assertions  concerning  the  differences  of  vo- 
cabulary are  invalidated  by  the  facts.  A  large  part  of  the 
critical  objections  to  a  common  authorship  dissolves  at 
once  into  thin  air.     Even  the  partial  evidence  previously 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  1 83 

set  forth  has  constrained  some  critics  to  propose  the 
hypothesis  that  the  author  of  the  Gospel  studied  the 
Apocalypse,  which  is  conceded  to  be  the  earlier  work, 
with  the  intent  to  produce  the  impression  of  a  common 
authorship.  The  "  chorizantes "  must  feel  themselves 
hard  pressed,  to  have  recourse  to  so  clumsy  a  hypothesis. 
Even  Professor  Bacon  seems  inclined  to  the  theory  that 
all  the  Johannine  writings  should  be  viewed  as  the 
product,  not  of  one  man,  but  of  one  school.  A  common 
authorship  is  therefore  now  virtually  admitted,  and  the 
only  question  remaining  open  is  this :  Were  the  three 
writings  produced  by  a  single  individual,  or  by  several 
individuals  of  the  Ephesian  school? 

The  answer  to  this  question  will  depend,  as  it  has  long 
depended,  chiefly  on  the  personal  equation.  Criticism  is 
not  an  exact  science.  Critical  judgments  are  based  upon 
facts  that  may  be  scientifically  tested,  but  the  judgments 
are  subjective  impressions  made  by  the  facts,  and  will 
differ  as  the  mentality  of  critics  differs.  Style  makes  its 
appeal  to  the  esthetic  faculty,  and  the  appeal  is  not  pre- 
cisely the  same  in  any  two  individuals.  Hence  arguments 
based  on  alleged  qualities  of  style  are  peculiarly  falla- 
cious. They  are  essentially  uncertain  and  deceptive  in 
their  premises:  which  are  often  intermixed  with  ques- 
tion-begging premises  from  other  sources ;  and  incor- 
rect deductions  are  frequently  drawn  from  premises 
themselves  valid.  In  addition  to  these  sources  of  error, 
the  individual  often  trusts  unduly  to  his  own  perceptions, 
and  persistently  ignores  a  large  body  of  well-established 
literary  fact. 

For  example,  the  differences  of  style  in  the  Johannine 
writings,  if  we  allow  for  argument's  sake  the  worst 
that  has  been  said,  are  no  greater  than  exist  in  writings 
that  we  absolutely  know  to  have  proceeded  from  one 
mind.    Such  differences  of  style  have  often  been  produced 


184  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

by  conscious  effort.  The  many  cases  of  successful  parody 
constitute  irrefutable  proof  of  this:  nearly  all  the  great 
poets  and  prose-writers  have  been  made  objects  of  imita- 
tion, and,  so  far  as  their  style  is  concerned,  with  convinc- 
ing skill.  More  important  for  our  purpose  is  the  fact  that 
without  conscious  effort,  writers  have  often  changed  their 
style  almost  totally;  so  that  books  by  them,  treating  dif- 
ferent subjects,  or  composed  at  different  periods  of  their 
lives,  not  infrequently  seem  so  utterly  diverse  in  style 
that  only  positive  testimony  would  convince  one  of  iden- 
tity of  authorship.  Yet  we  have  just  such  positive  testi- 
mony in  cases  by  the  score. 

So  numerous  are  these  cases  that  one  hardly  knows 
where  to  begin  or  end  in  citing  instances.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  indisputable  documentary  proof  that  the  same 
William  Shakespeare  wrote  the  poems  and  sonnets  and 
plays,  these  works  are  so  unlike  in  style  and  mentality 
that  many  critics  refuse  to  accept  the  documentary  proof. 
This  unlikeness  is  all  that  gives  plausibility  to  the 
Baconian  theory.  The  literary  critic  of  A.  D.  3000,  if 
he  lights  upon  the  "  Life  of  Napoleon,"  the  romance  of 
"  Ivanhoe,"  and  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  persuading  himself  from  the  internal  evidence 
that  one  and  the  same  Walter  Scott  could  never  have 
written  all  three  books.  Had  we  not  abundant  external 
evidence,  might  we  not  find  it  incredible  that  the  robust 
grandeur  of  "  Hyperion,"  the  cameolike  perfection  of 
the  "  Ode  to  a  Grecian  Urn,"  and  the  puerilities  of 
"  Endymion  "  proceed  from  one  poet,  and  that  all  three 
were  composed  within  a  decade?  Can  the  Goethe  of 
"  Wilhelm  Meister  "  and  the  Goethe  of  "  Faust "  be  the 
same  individual?  Did  the  same  Dante  compose  those 
"  sugared  sonnets  "  and  the  "  Inferno  "  ?  And  so  on,  and 
so  on,  through  all  ages  and  all  literatures,  ad  libitum,  al- 
most ad  infinitum,  and  quite  certainly  ad  nauseam.    Style 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  185 

is  as  deadly  a  weapon  in  the  hands  of  the  rash  critic  as 
the  gun  that  isn't  loaded  has  proved  to  be  in  the  hands  of 
a  fool. 

Style  is  limited  to  choice  and  arrangement  of  words. 
It  discloses  mental  habits.  But  it  is  not  the  only  clue  to 
a  writer's  mentality.  Some  years  ago,  in  a  famous  trial 
of  a  socially  prominent  man  for  the  alleged  crime  of 
murder,  the  fate  of  the  accused  turned  on  the  question 
whether  he  wrote  certain  documents.  Experts  contended 
that  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  effectually  to  disguise  his 
handwriting;  the  trained  eye  can  identify  all  that  the 
same  hand  wrote.  This  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that 
each  man  has  his  own  physical  habits  in  writing,  of 
which  he  is  unconscious,  from  which  therefore  he  can 
never  entirely  escape  by  any  conscious  effort.  Certain 
of  these  habits  will  persist  through  all  attempts  at  dis- 
guise, and  thus  his  identity  will  be  conclusively  estab- 
lished. In  like  manner,  certain  mental  habits  persist 
throughout  every  writer's  literary  activity,  and  are  to  be 
accepted  as  indubitable  proofs  of  identity. 

Have  we  not  all  noticed  in  public  speakers  to  whom  we 
have  frequently  listened  certain  oratorical  devices  by 
which  we  should  have  been  able  to  recognize  them  under 
whatsoever  conditions?  Preachers  are  peculiarly  liable 
to  fall  into  such  habits,  such  as  always  dividing  a  dis- 
course into  three  heads,  and  of  these  habits  they  are 
totally  unconscious,  yet  such  characteristic  methods  con- 
stitute evidence  of  identity  that  would  be  convincing  to 
critical  listeners.  The  use  of  peculiar  turns  of  expression, 
of  pet  phrases,  of  favorite  words,  is  another  familiar 
habit  of  speakers  and  writers  that  would  often  serve  as 
an  infallible  test  of  identity.  More  or  less,  every  writer 
and  speaker  is  the  unconscious  victim  of  habits  that  con- 
tinually betray  his  personality,  and  as  he  is  the  last 
person  to  become  aware  of  them,  they  persist  through  all 


l86  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

his  mental  product,  and  would  make  him  known  under 
every  attempted  disguise. 

Some  of  these  habits  relate  only  to  expression,  to  the 
words  with  which  thought  is  clothed.  When  they  are  not 
too  pronounced,  they  give  to  style  that  quality  that  we 
call  "  manner  " — an  agreeable  flavor  of  originality,  or  at 
least  of  individuality,  just  sufficing  for  zest.  When  such 
habits  become  too  pronounced  we  call  them  "  manner- 
ism " ;  the  flavor  of  individuality  is  now  so  strong  as  to 
become  offensive,  or  nearly  so. 

But  other  habits  relate  to  literary  form,  rather  than 
to  mere  expression;  and  analysis  of  literary  form  leads 
us  into  deeper  recesses  of  the  mind  than  study  of  literary 
expression.  In  the  study  of  any  piece  of  literature,  struc- 
ture is  usually  more  significant  than  style.  Structure  is 
fundamental;  style  is  superficial.  Historical  criticism 
has  committed  many  gross  errors  by  neglecting  a  prin- 
ciple that  should  have  been  so  obvious.  Nothing  is 
more  remarkable  in  the  great  range  of  critical  studies 
of  the  Johannine  writings  than  the  almost  complete 
neglect  of  their  structure.  Attention  has  been  con- 
centrated on  the  surface  phenomena  of  words,  to  the 
utter  ignoring  of  those  underlying  habits  of  thought  that 
are  more  trustworthy  indicia  of  identity.  Criticism  can- 
not claim  to  have  spoken  a  really  decisive  word,  not  to 
say  the  last  word,  on  any  ancient  composition,  until  it  has 
gone  below  the  shallows  of  diction  and  sentence-building, 
and  taken  more  account  of  structural  peculiarities,  which 
rest  on  basic  elements  of  personality. 

In  our  previous  studies  we  have  carefully  examined 
the  structure  of  the  Johannine  writings,  and  the  facts 
have  been  adequately  set  forth,  but  there  has  been  little 
attempt  as  yet  to  estimate  the  value  or  significance  of 
these  facts.  It  will  be  remembered  that  we  discovered 
the  Gospel  and  Apocalypse  to  be  the  most  artificial  books 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  187 

in  the  New  Testament — ''  artificial  "  in  the  good  sense, 
implying  careful  plan,  distinct  structural  peculiarities.  If 
now  we  reexamine  these  studies  and  sum  up  their  results, 
we  shall  find  that  there  is  a  remarkable  similarity  in  the 
structure  of  the  writings.  They  are  not  only  most  arti- 
ficial, but  artificial  in  the  same  way.  The  striking  simi- 
larities discovered  by  our  study  are  real,  not  imaginary, 
and  cannot  be  accidental.  Together  they  constitute  evi- 
dence of  a  cogent  character  that  these  writings  are  prod- 
ucts, not  merely  of  one  school,  but  of  a  single  mind. 

These  similarities  are  two :  likeness  of  general  plan  and 
likeness  of  literary  form. 

Of  these  the  likeness  of  literary  form  is  the  less  char- 
acteristic and  individual,  and  therefore  the  less  convincing, 
but  still  very  significant.  Both  the  Apocalypse  and  the 
Fourth  Gospel  are  largely  in  the  form  of  Hebrew  poetry, 
and  a  notable  part  of  the  Epistle  is  cast  in  the  same 
literary  mold.  In  the  Gospel,  the  words  of  Jesus  are  uni- 
formly poetic,  while  the  narrative  portions  are  plain  prose. 
The  contents  of  the  Apocalypse  are  not  so  easily  classi- 
fied. Some  of  the  visions  are  mainly  poetic,  while  the 
remaining  parts  are  the  baldest  of  prose,  and  prose  pas- 
sages are  throughout  interspersed  with  poetic  in  an  ap- 
parently purposeless  manner.  Critical  study  may  yet 
succeed  in  making  an  analysis  of  the  text  that  will  be 
generally  accepted;  and  in  this  case  many  of  these  varia- 
tions may  find  a  perfectly  natural  explanation,  as  coming 
from  dififerent  sources. 

But  the  poetic  form  is  not  unique  in  the  Johannine 
writings.  The  discourses  of  Jesus  in  the  Synoptics  are 
also  mainly  in  the  form  of  Hebrew  verse,  and  this  seems 
to  be  unimpeachable  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the  ulti- 
mate choice  of  this  form  was  not  made  by  Matthew  or 
Luke  or  "  John,"  but  by  Jesus  himself.  He  cast  his  dis- 
courses in  this  form,  not  only  because  he  was  by  nature 


l88  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

poet  as  well  as  teacher,  but  because  he  had  good  reason 
to  believe  this  form  to  be  most  impressive  to  hearers  and 
most  easily  retained  in  memory.  Everybody  knows  how 
much  easier  it  is  to  commit  to  memory  and  retain  verse 
than  prose.  That  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  gives 
us  the  discourses  in  this  form,  instead  of  in  prose,  is  a 
circumstance  at  least  favorable  to  the  theory  that  he  was 
an  intimate  disciple  of  Jesus  and  well  acquainted  with  the 
Master's  method.  Whoever  he  was,  this  author  was  the 
one  early  Christian  writer  -^  who  shares  with  the  com- 
piler of  the  discourses  in  the  Synoptics — Matthew,  if 
we  accept  the  tradition  of  Papias — this  tendency  to 
adopt  the  poetic  form.  But  Matthew  is  clearly  out  of 
the  question  as  author  of  the  Apocalypse,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  Here  we  have,  therefore,  a  kind 
of  evidence  that  points  unmistakably  to  a  single  author- 
ship of  the  Johannine  writings,  and  this  author  probably 
an  original  disciple.  So  far  literary  criticism  agrees  well 
with  tradition. 

In  similarity  of  plan  we  find  evidence  of  a  more  positive 
and  convincing  nature.  Comparison  of  the  Johannine 
writings  shows  more  than  similarity  of  structure ;  it,  in 
fact,  establishes  identity.  One  characteristic  feature  runs 
throughout  these  structures:  a  continuous  thinking  in 
sevens.  It  is  not  beyond  the  theory  of  chances  that 
several  New  Testament  writers  should  make  some  kind 
of  use  of  this  symbolic  number;  indeed,  every  one  of 
them  might  make  considerable  use  of  the  number  seven, 
and  the  facts  could  still  be  rationally  referred  to  their 
common  stock  of  Hebrew  ideas.  But  when  an  author 
makes  this  number  seven  the  key  to  the  formal  structure 
of  his  book,  as  Dante  makes  the  number  three  the  key 

^We  of  course  exclude  Mark  and  Luke,  as  well  as  the  author  of  the 
present  "  Matthew,"  because  the  poetic  passages  in  these  Gospels  are  clearly 
not  the  composition  of  the  writers,  but  copied  from  their  sources,  mainly 
the  Aramaic  Logia  of  Matthew, 


THE    PROBLEM  I    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  189 

to  the  structure  of  the  Divine  Comedy,  we  are  forced  to 
look  for  an  explanation  to  the  personality  of  the  author. 
If  a  hitherto  unknown  Italian  poem  of  the  fourteenth 
century  should  be  discovered,  and  should  prove  to  be 
constructed  on  the  number  three,  Dante  would  undoubt- 
edly be  first  thought  of  as  the  probable  author,  and  this 
structural  form  might  well  be  the  decisive  factor  in 
determining  the  authorship.  That  two  writers  of  the 
same  country  and  the  same  generation  should  have  the 
same  habit  of  mind,  and  should  independently  choose  this 
structural  form,  is  so  improbable  as  to  be  practically 
unthinkable. 

This  conclusion  holds  in  the  case  of  the  Johannine 
writings.  Their  structural  identity  connotes  mental  char- 
acteristics in  their  author  far  more  impressive  than  those 
mental  characteristics  that  result  in  choice  of  words  and 
constructions.  In  other  words,  plan  counts  for  more 
than  style  in  determining  authorship.  Identity  of  plan 
therefore  overrides  differences  of  style  when  we  come 
to  final  judgment  regarding  the  authorship  of  any  writ- 
ing or  series  of  writings.  And  this  is  especially  the  case 
when,  in  a  given  series,  we  find  certain  writings  that 
have  an  identical  plan,  while  no  other  document  in  the 
series  shows  a  tendency  toward  the  same  mental  habit. 
Thinking  in  sevens  is  not  only  characteristic  of  the 
Johannine  writings,  but  peculiar  to  these  writings  among 
the  entire  early  Christian  literature.  For  while  the  sym- 
bolism of  seven  is  known  and  employed  in  nearly  all  this 
literature,  it  does  not  extend  to  plan  and  structure  in  any 
other  work.  No  other  writing  of  Christian  antiquity  even 
suggests  this  sevenfold  treatment  of  its  material. 

We  have,  therefore,  in  the  Johannine  writings  such 
marked  structural  phenomena  as  constitute  proof  of 
unity  of  authorship  more  weighty  than  could  be  furnished 
by  any  similarities  of  style;  and  conversely,  no  dissimi- 


190  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

larities  of  style  could  be  held  to  offset  this  proof.  But 
the  evidence  of  authorship  afforded  by  the  style  of  these 
writings  is  indecisive  in  itself;  there  are  as  many  and 
as  great  similarities  as  dissimilarities,  and  the  latter  may 
be  plausibly  accounted  for  on  several  grounds.  Of  these 
three  writings,  possessing  these  common  structural  traits, 
the  only  writings  in  a  large  collection  that  so  possess  them, 
two  are  generally  conceded  to  be  from  the  same  writer. 
The  conclusion  is  almost  irresistible  that  the  third  must 
proceed  from  the  same  mind. 


It  may  be  objected  by  one  who  has  read  thus  far,  that 
the  sum  total  of  what  has  been  said  fails  to  prove  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  and  still 
more  signally  fails  to  prove  a  single  authorship  of  Gospel 
and  Apocalypse.  But  once  more  let  it  be  said,  This 
literary  study  of  these  writings  is  not  intended  to  "  prove  " 
anything;  it  is  an  attempt  to  understand  those  writings 
better,  including  the  question  of  their  authorship.  It  is 
a  search  for  truth,  not  the  defense  of  a  thesis.  We  are 
not  required  to  reach  a  definite  conclusion  regarding 
any  of  the  questions  raised,  unless  the  evidence  compels 
such  a  conclusion.  But,  moreover,  it  should  also  be 
recognized  that  nobody  is  under  obligation  to  "  prove  " 
the  Johannine  authorship.  It  is  for  those  who  doubt 
John's  authorship  of  the  writings  attributed  to  him  to 
disprove  it.  For  we  have  the  same  evidence  for  his 
authorship  that  we  have  for  the  authorship  of  Plato's 
Dialogues  or  Caesar's  Commentaries,  namely,  the  unbroken 
tradition  of  antiquity.  Such  traditions  may  be  erroneous, 
but  they  can  be  set  aside  only  by  good  evidence.  If  the 
evidence,  such  as  we  have,  is  on  the  whole  more  favor- 
able to  the  Johannine  authorship  than  unfavorable,  can 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  lyl 

it  be  said  that  the  hostile  critics  have  made  out  their 
case?  After  three  centuries  of  study  and  discussion, 
some  of  the  ablest  critics  maintain  a  single  authorship, 
while  others  concede  a  virtual  Johannine  authorship  of 
the  Gospel.  In  the  face  of  such  facts,  it  would  seem 
futile  for  the  more  radical  critics  to  claim  that  they  have 
disproved  the  traditional  theory.  A  sober  scholar,  who 
weighs  well  the  evidence  and  the  meaning  of  words,  will 
be  slow  to  assert  that  the  presumption  of  right  and 
authority  always  attaching  to  undisputed  tradition  has 
been  seriously  weakened. 

Our  inquiry  has  solidly  established  the  following  facts 
and  conclusions : 

1.  Each  of  the  Johannine  books — Apocalypse,  Gos- 
pel, and  Epistle — is  the  product  of  a  single  mind.  No 
hypothesis  of  a  composite  authorship  is  admissible. 

2.  The  Gospel  and  Epistle  are  original  works,  in- 
corporating no  previous  sources. 

3.  The  Apocalypse  probably  incorporates  considerable 
portions  of  previously  existing  apocalypses  of  Jewish 
origin,  freely  adapted  to  the  new  Christian  uses. 

4.  Large  parts  of  each  writing  are  in  the  form  of  He- 
brew poetry,  a  fact  that  points  toward  a  common  origin. 

5.  The  three  writings  have  a  large  common  vocabulary 
of  words  and  phrases,  a  fact  that  gives  emphatic  sup- 
port to  the  hypothesis  of  common  authorship. 

6.  The  differences  of  vocabulary  are  amply  accounted 
for  by  (a)  the  brevity  of  the  writings;  (b)  their  dif- 
ferences of  theme  and  aim;  (c)  the  use  of  documents,  as 
indicated  above  (3). 

7.  The  difficulties  presented  by  "  John's  "  report  of  the 
discourses  of  Jesus  have  largely  disappeared,  to  such 
an  extent  that  at  least  one  learned  German  critic  now  ac- 
cepts them  as  the  Memoirs  of  the  apostle  John  and  the 
genuine  nucleus  of  the  Gospel. 


192  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

8.  Each  of  the  three  writings  was  evidently  composed 
by  a  Jew,  to  whom  Greek  had  never  become  a  natural 
medium  of  expression.  But  the  differences  between  the 
Apocalypse  and  the  other  writings  in  the  use  of  Greek 
are  no  greater  than  might  easily  occur  in  the  writings  of 
any  Hellenist,  if  an  interval  of  a  decade  or  more  between 
them  be  assumed. 

9.  Each  book  shows  the  same  attitude  of  mind  toward 
Jesus,  his  mission,  and  the  character  of  his  "  salvation." 

10.  The  structure  of  each  book  is  determined  by  the 
number  seven.  This  is  of  deepest  significance,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  true  of  no  other  early  Christian 
writing,  canonical  or  uncanonical. 

11.  So  many  of  the  above  ten  conclusions  have  been 
accepted  as  to  lead  an  increasing  number  of  critics  either 
to  pronounce  in  favor  of  a  single  authorship  or  to  con- 
clude that  the  three  writings  emanated  from  an  Ephesian 
school,  of  which  the  apostle  John  was  the  founder. 

12.  The  tendency  of  recent  criticism  is  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  Johannine  writings  must  be  studied  as 
one  tissue. 

So  far  as  the  writer  can  learn,  the  conclusions  num- 
bered 4  and  10  have  never  before  been  urged  in  a  critical 
treatise  on  the  Johannine  writings;  and  those  numbered 
5  and  6  have  never  before  been  adequately  established. 

EXCURSUS  TO  CHAPTER  VII 

GREEK  WORDS  USED  ONLY  IN  THE  GOSPEL 

Note.  Words  marked  with  a  prefixed  asterisk  are  used 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament;  a  prefixed  dagger 
means  that  the  word  is  used  only  once  elsewhere. 

'Axadoc;  (3),  djjiUa)  (2),  dyco  (13),  dfiovi^ofxai  (l),  ddskf^ 
(6),  dderico  (i),  aijcaX6(:  (i),  ahia  (3),  dxavBat  (i),  dx6.)>dtvoz 


THE   PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I93 

(l),  dxoTJ  (i),  d?M<f(o  (2),  dXsxziop  (2),  *d)j£ua)  (l),  *dXla- 
loQz-j  (l),  8.)loiiat{i),  dXX6rpco<:  (2),  dlo:j  (i),  d/uaprioXd^  (4), 
d^j/6c(2),  dva^i^.e;ra>  (4),  di^dxeipai(4),dvaxu7:rw(2),  *duafidp- 
rrjTO^  (i),  dua~c7:T(o  (5),  dvaavpicpco  (i),  dvarpiitio  (i), 
dva-^iopiu)  (i),  dvkpyopat  (i),  ^'dvdpaxcd  (i),  dvcarT^pc  (8), 
dvW  (l),  duzUco  (4),  ^dvrlr^pa  (i),  dv<w  (3),  dvwdev  (5), 
5;rac  (i),  dTtscdst;  (l),  dTioxaluTTxa)  (l),  dTtoxoizroj  (2),  dTio- 
x/>r(Trc  (2),  dTioXoo)  (5),  d7:oauudya)YO(;  (3),  *dpa<foc  (l), 
dpiarda)  (2),  d^ozi^y  (2),  d/vroc  (24),  dp^espsut;  (20),  dp^itpc- 
xhvo^  (3),  d/>;fG>  (2),  dptoiia  (i),  dadiueca  (2),  dadtveco  (9), 
dTcpd^o)  (i),  abqdvco  (i),  ^auzoifcopoz,  (i),  ^aiov[\),  jSaTTzc^a) 
(13),  ^dnzo)  (2),  ^aadcxo^  (2),  /3^//a  (i),  j^cj^pcoaxw  (i), 
^laa(pTjp£(o  (i),  /9oda>  (i),  ^oaxo)  (2),  ^ooXvjopac  (2), 
/?ou;o//«r(i),  /3oDc(2),  ^payioiv  (i),  /9/>apC  (i),  /?^^//a  (l), 
^pibaiz.  (4),  ya!^0(pfAdxcou  {i),  ydzcov  (i),  yspi^o)  (2),  7-£ver;y 
(i),  y-i^owv  (i),  ys'jopcu  (2),  yeiopydi;  (i),  pjpdaxco  (i),  *yXoa- 
aoxopov  (2),  Yucopt^co  (2),  y'vwtrroc  (2),  yoyyu^co  (4),  yoyyua- 
poc  (i),  T-oveTc  (6),  ;'/>d/i/^a  (2),  ypappazvj<i  (i),  T'iOaf'?'  (12), 
dcupovi^opcu  (i),  *daxp6oj  (l),  daxzuXot:  (4),  *dedid(t)  (i), 
dtxoTiivzs.  (i),  ^£/?o;  (l),  di-j^opac  (l),  o-JTtozs  (i),  dcadidiopc 
(i),  *8ca^c6uu'jpc  (3),  dujjioviu)  (3),  dcdxom^  (3),  diapspc^M 
(i),  dcaaxop-ni^oj  (i),  dtaoTtopd  (i),  dcazpi^co  (2),  dcddaxaXo^ 
(8),  dczydpco  (i),  dcspy^opac  (3),  dixzoov  (4),  ^oxiw  (8),  ^o-^.oc 
(l),  dooXt'ju)  (i),  ^f«>/>ed  (i),  l^oc  (i),  SfW^-w  (i),  £?ra  (3), 
ixdi^opac  (i),  ixXiyopac  (5),  hpdaaoi  (3),  *kxvvj(o  (i), 
ixzecpco  (i),  iXdaacov  (i),  iXazzoco  (i),  iXauvco  (i),  iXeuOepda) 
(2),  iXqpa{i),  kXx'jo)  (5),  i;j/>jv^<Tr/ (i),  sATTf (f'o;  ( I ),  ip^abo) 
(4),  ipl^XsTtco  (2),  ip^pipdopai  (2),  kpnipnXrjpc  (i),  ip(pauc^aj 
(2),  *ivzarW(i),  ivza(pid^oj  (i),  ivza<pia(Tp6^  (i),  iuziXXopai 
(5),  ivzuXiaaco  (i),  il'd^-w  (i),  i^eazcu  (2),  i^£rd(^a)  (i),  i^^j/i- 
0//6U  (i),  *iqu7tvc^a)  (i),  lo/>r3y'  (17),  ^irrdpazo^  (i),  i~aupiou 
(5),  in-££  (2),  *s.z£vduz7j<:  (i),  iTzepwzdco  (2),  irux£cpac  (2), 
iruXiyopajc.  (i),  Iruphay  (i),  iruzpir^o}  (i),  ^iniy^pio)  (2), 
i7:oupdv(0<;  (i),  kppr^veuw  (3),  Itrco  (i),  hspoq  (i),  ezoipo^; 
(l),  £i^o-va>  (i),  ei^^c  (3),  e^/'V"^  (l),  ^X'^^C  (I),  C^;-oc  (i). 
N 


194  '^IIE   JOIIANNINE    WRITINGS 

f^rjTTjaeQ  (l),  ^(opvjfii  (2),  ^coorrodco  (3),  ^Xixia  (2),  rjlo^  (2), 
dapasco  (i),  dtpfJiaiuonac  (3),  ^i^'x;y  (i),  dp^jaxco  (2),  dpipjua 
(2),  dprjusu)  (i),  dufdzrip  (i),  dupwpoz  (3),  ^L>tt»  (i),  cdopai 
(3),  r^£  (15),  f'd'foc  (15),  ^oov  (ii),  f;^ac  (i),  IpauapoQ  (i), 
«<70c  (l),  /;f^uc  (3),  xadacpco  (i),  xadapcopo^  (2),  *xairocys. 
(l),  xdzsT  (i),  xdxdvoz  (6),  xaxaJQ  (i),  za/oc  (7),  xaXaJz  (4), 
zav  (4),  xazdyvupc  (3),  ^xaxaypdipco  (i),  xoxdxztpat.  (2),  zara- 
z^O£vw  (2),  *xarax'jTiTCD  (i),  xaralapfidvto  (5),  xarahcTTco  (i), 
xatayopca  (i),  xar^o  (2),  *xscpca  (i),  xsppa  (i),  *xtpp.aTc<TT^(; 
(i),  ■fxTjTTo:;  (3),  x}Aapa  (2),  *xXTJpa  (4),  xXrjpOQ  (i),  z^/vw  (i), 
xoiUa  (2),  xotpdopux  (2),  *xolpr^atCi  (l),  xoxxoz  (i),  xo)lu^ta- 
zr^Z  (l),  ^foArroc  (2),  xoXopL^irjdpa  (3),  ^-y.op(p6Ttpov  (i), 
xpd^^axoc,  (4),  xpa'jyd^o)  (6),  *xpcdcuo:;  (2),  xpuTtzo^  (3), 
xuxXoco  (l),  xuTTTco  (2),  xftiyt/3y  (3),  Mdpa  (i),  j-^.a;?>fa  (2), 
Xavpda  (i),  Xivrcop  (2),  hjafj';  (3),  Xcdd^to  (5),  Xocdopsco  (i), 
^uzoc  (2),  Xoniio  (2),  >'>t;7r--j'  (4),  fiadr^rrjc,  (78),  pabofiac  (i), 
paxpdv  (i),  iidXXov  (4),  p.aarqbio  (i),  pdyopat  (i),  pedtp- 
p-qvzbopai  (i),  //i^er  (2),  //iv  (8),  phxoi  (5),  ^pzabio 
(i),  /^£<Tr6c  (3),  ps.ra^aiva)  (3),  //sral^u  (i),  perprf/jc:  (i), 
/i-yxirr  (2),  //.;^7ror£  (i),  //3^'r^  (3),  */^rV//a  (i),  /^a/>6i;  (9), 
■^pcadcoTOQ  (2),  pvTjp^^ov  (16),  potytia  (i),  p'jpov  (4), 
mo^oc  (l),   i^ioc  (i),    fj^s^iw  (i),    v;-r:y';0  (i),   v/-rw  (13), 

VO£Ct»   (l),     fvo/i;^   (l),     V6//0C    (14),     fv!J(7<7W   (l),     'oOTffko}  (l), 

bdoTZopia  (i),  *0(^<:t>  (l),  ■\dd6vcov  (4),  OiVa  (5),  oixodopico 
(l),  orzoc  (4),  o7/iar  (l),  6xr<:*>  (2),  f^/^o^  (S).  o/iwf  (l), 
*dudp:op  (l),  ovoc  (l),  o'l^oc  (3),  Sttwc  (i),  dpdpo^:  (l), 
bpifavbz  (i),  o<T//;^  (i),  baxkov  (i),  oy  (3),  ohoknoxt  (i), 
ohbk-co  (3),  *ouxouv  (i),  ov;^£  (7),  *b<pdpiov  (5),  3^''/a  (2), 
^TZfuddpcov  {i),  Tzacd'tax-fj  (l),  ;ra7'c  (l),  rrdvxoxs  (7),  Tcapaylv- 
opm  (2),  Ttapadidcopc  (15),  Ttapaxbrrxo)  (2),  napaXo.p^dvio 
(3),  napapudiopat  (2),  Tzapaaxeorj  (3),  Ttapioxr^pc  (2),  t''^«/>o^- 
///«  (4),  Ttdaya  (10),  *r,tvQzpbc,  (i),  nevxaxcaxiXcoc  (i), 
nevx^xbvxa  (2),  TrijOay  (8),  *7tepc8iopac  (i),  TTspdaxrjpc  (i), 
TTspiffffeuM  (2),  Tiepcaxepd  (3),  Tzspixipvo)  (l),  TrepixWy^p:  (i), 
Ttepixopij  (2),  t;r;^^6c  (5),  rcmpdaxo)  (i),  nXeUou  (5),  ;r^ix(t;  (i), 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  I95 

7t?.£upd  (4),  7r^6o(:  (2),  Txl-jpr^:;  (i),  ■Klrjpwfxa  (i),  Tih^aiov  (i), 
TtXoidpiou  (4),  Tzoiprju  (6),  iioDAxt^  (i),  -KoXuvcpoQ  (i),  rtopeu- 
opai  (17),  yTo<Trc  (l),  TTore  (l),  ^Tzbrtpov  (i),  nprnxoypiov  (4), 
Ttpdaaco  (2),  tt^o/v  (3),  ;r/>6  (9),  ^npo^aztxoz  (l),  ^Tcpo^dreov 
(2),  *~poaficzeu)  (i),  1[7vpoaac-r^^  (i),  Ttpoaepyopac  (i), 
*r,oo<Txyt';yr;^C  (l),  ^Tzpoaifdyiou  (i),  Ttpoafipo)  (2),  TipOTSpo^ 
(3),  7rpoTps]^co  (i),  Ttpocpaacz  (l),  7r/>o>£'  (2),  ^npcjca  (i), 
;r,owrov  (8),  ^nzuapai^i),  -z'jio  (i),  novddvopac  (i),  7:upeT6<; 
(l),  TTcoAo^  (i),  Tzcopoio  (l),  pdrccGpa  (2),  */jiw  (l),  |0;^//a  (12), 
ad^^azov  (14),  axavoaXi^ay  (2),  ^axeXo^  (3),  * axrjVOTZTjjia  (i), 
axhjpoc,  (i),  aooddpcov  (2),  OTtecpa  (2),  aTizipu)  (2),  aitoyjoi; 
(i),  azwjpo^  (i),  OToa  (2),  azpaxtcozfj:;  (6),  aop<pkpo)  (3), 
auvsdpcov  (i),  *auv£casp-/^opac  (2),  auvkpyopat  (2),  *auvpLa- 
QtiZTi^  (i),  auvazaopouj  (i),  aovzeXeoj  (l),  auvzidr^pc  (l), 
^aovf^pdopm  (i),  o-^iC,oi  (2),  ayjapa  (3),  f<T^orv:'ov  (i), 
CTw^w  (6),  zapdaao)  (6),  zdytiov  (2),  zeXeuzdw  (l),  Z£pa<: 
(l),  *Z£zapza7o^  (i),  "^zzzpaprjuoc;  (i),  zipdco  (6),  zoXpdco 
(i),  rors  (10),  zpoTis^a  (i),  zpcdxovza  (2),  fzpcaxomoi  (i), 
r/>/c  (i),  r^o/rov  (3),  r/)o^;^'  (i),  •r/>f«i^ft>  (5),  ru;roc  (2),  o^-^^^'c 
(6),  *6<5^/a  (3),  bTzavzdco  (4),  UTidvzTjaa;  (i),  <!);:£/>  with  ace. 
(i),  67:7jpsz-/j<:  {g),  u7tvo(;  (i),  utto  with  ace.  (i),  dTrodecf/ua 
(l),  imodr^pa  (i),  bTZOiupvrjaxoi  (i),  \uaaco7ZO(;  (i),  bazzpkco 
(l),  uazepov  (i),  hipavzbz  (i),  6^'ow  (5),  (favtpco^  (i),  '^ipavbc, 
(l),  ^aDAoc(2),  ^3y;/£  (4),  ^j7oc  (6),  ^o^oiw  (i),  ^ippayiUcov 
(i),  *xapai  (2),  ytcpcov  (i),  ytipcov  (i),  ^f^rcov  (2),  *yoXdo) 
(i),  /w>^6c  (i),  ;iffii/>a(3),  ;fw,oiw  (3),  ;^w^orov  (i),  7^<>/>/c  (6), 
([''jyoi;  {i),  *(/)ojpcou  (4),  (Lv  (26),  *aj<7avvct  (i),  cwtrre  (i), 
cozdpcov  (i),  a»r/ov  (i),  (JofsXico  (2). 

WORDS    USED   IN    THE   APOCALYPSE   ONLY 

"A^uaffo^  (7),  «^;yc  (4),  (i(5aict>  (10),  doixr^pa  (i),  a^w  (3), 
deroc  (3),  djy'.o  (2),  a/viw  (i),  alayyvq  (i),  aiypaXcoaia  (2), 
dxadapzoi:  (4),  ^dxpd^to  (i),  dxpazo:;  (i),  dxpci;  (2),  dXX.aXou- 
(d  (4),  5^y<T^c  (l),  a^-^a  (3),  *dpsduazo^  (i),   ^dpcopou  (i), 


ICJO  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

dfjiajfto^  (l),  di'dr.aoaiQ  (2),  dvaizmm  (2),  dvaxoXij  (3), 
dixapYfj  (i),  aKcaroi;  (i),  dnodcdco/jic  (3),  dyioxaXu^iei;  (i), 
dzofipo)  (2),  dzo-^copi^opLm  (i),  d/?7-6c  (i),  dpyupo!;  (i), 
dpcdpso)  (i),  *dpxoi;  (i),  a/>;ia  (i),  dp\>iov  (27),  dt/><7£v 
(2),  dpymoc,  (2),  d<Tr;^jO  (14),  darpaTZ-q  (4),  da'j(7^poau)>i^  (i), 
wjhfCT^c,  (l),  difucpeo)  (2),  a;f^or  (11),  d(pt\^do^  (2),  /36t^oc 
(l),  ^aaai'iCio  (5),  ^aaaviaiibz.  (5),  ^aacXvjo)  (7),  ^aailcaaa 
(i),  ^^dxpayoc,  (l),  ^deXuYpo.  (3),  ^dzXoaaopac  (i),  ^ijpuXXoi; 
(l),  *l^cfiXapidtoi^  (4),  /3£y3/oc  (2),  ^or^deco  (i),  ^oppd^  (i), 
^or/>yc  (i),  /5,«£X^'>  (i),  /?/>ovr3^  (9),  ^uaacuo^  (5),  ;'a(Tr;y/)  (i), 
y-i/zfu  (7),  ^ivoc  (i),  j-^^yzuc  (2),  ^-vwyu^y  (3),  ^o//oc  (2),  ;'6vu 
(l),  Yprj-jfopso)  (3),  yopvovfjz  (l),  ;'a>v/a  (2),  ddxpuov  (2), 
ds:?.6:;  (l),  deczueco  (i),  ^iza  (9),  oiudpou  (4),  0£(7>T6r;jc  (i), 
*dcdd-/jpa(T)),  dcadrjXT]  (i),  oioxovca^i),  dcaupji;  (i),  dca<fdecpct) 
(2),  dcxaiiopa{2),  ocTiXoo^  {2),  *dc7T?.6co  (1),  dc^  (l),  oiazopoi; 
(2),  ^opdxcov  (12),  openavov  (7),  duvapc<:  (12),  doap-j  (i), 
dcodixaro^  (i),  ocopou  (i),  ^iyypuo  (i),  ar^c  (8),  docoX6duTO(; 
(2),  ecdcoXoXdrpTji:  (2),  erxoar  (6),  ec'^oiv  (10),  Ixarov  (4), 
ixorxico  (2),  kxxXr^aca  (20),  l/^a^ov  (2),  iXeeci^oi;  (i),  ^iXtifdvrc- 
voz  (l),  kXiaao)  (l),  £^.zoc  (2),  kXXr^uixf/  (i),  £//ift>  (i),  spitopoi; 
(4),  epifol^o;:  (l),  ivaro^  (i),  kudixaro^  (17),  iv^uo  (3), 
^kvdcoprjGtz  (i),  *k^ax6<Tcoi  (2),  i^a?M(fco  (3),  k^rjxoura  (3), 
s^codsv  (2),  i7riYpd<pct)  (i),  sTicdopeio  (i),  £7rra  (46),  ipr^pboi 
(3),  l^^ov  (i),  iffcodev  (2),  euayyiXcou  (i),  euayysXi^opae  (2), 
euXoyca  (3),  eucppacuco  (3),  euyapiaria  (2),  euwuupot:  (i), 
£;^^;o6c  (2),  *C£<Tr6c  (2),  *^7jXs6a)  (l),  C^r^C  (i),  C^VJ^  (2), 
Ca5ov  (20),  :^;roc  (13),  ^//ftroc  (3),  *^pciopop  (i),  l9ay/za  (i), 
daupaar6(:  (2),  decov{6),  *d£uod-/j(:  (i),  OepiXcoi;  (3),  deparreia 
(i),  di^pcov(^S),  ^/>6voc  (46),  ^u^voc(i),  dup6<;  {10),  duacaari^- 
pcou  (38),  ^Cfi^a?  (2),  ra<T7r^c  (4),  *r7r7r^;f6c  (i),  f^'^^^c  (16), 
*?^0fc  (2),  ca^opor  (9),  xdXapo<:  (3),  xdpcvoq  (2),  fxa;rv6c  (12), 
*xarddspa{i),  xaTaxata){i),  xaraTTcvco  (i),  *xaTa^pay'cC,o)  (l), 
^xaxrifLop  (i),  xarocxko  (13),  xaroixr^x-qpiov  (i),  xaupaziQo) 
(2),  xivzpov  (l),  xtpapcxo:;  (l),  *x£pduvupi  (2),  j^oac  (9). 
xr^puaaco  (i),  xc^cozbi;  {\),  jxiddpa  (3),  jxiOapc^w  (i),  *xr^a- 


THE    PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  I97 

p(fj36^ (2),  xcuito  (2),  *X(Uvd/i(o/xo]j[i),  x/£jc(4),  *xUfifJia{i), 
xXrjpouoiiico  (i),  xXr^zo^  (i),  xXtvT]  (l),  xoci^ov  (i),  xhxxivo^i  (4), 
xoDAofiai  {\\  *xolX6pcov  (i),  x6;itw  (2),  xoafisw  (2),  xpdroc, 
(2),  xpanyri  (i),  x/^f^jy  (i),  x^ooyo)  (l),  *xpuaxak)'if^to  (i), 
xpuar alloc.  (2),  xrijvoc  (l),  zW^^  (3),  ;<rf'<Trc  (i),  xr/^/ia  (2), 
\xii^tpvqx-fic  (l),  *xuxk6dzv  (3),  xo»x/(X»  (3),  tw/>?«xoc  (i), 
xtiwv  (i),  laimpdt;  (5),  larpvjco  (2),  ^leoxo^uaacpoi;  (i), 
Aswxoc  (15),  -^'Swv  (6),  t-^'^J^f^C  (4)»  t^«^«^oc  (i),  *>^;/3a- 
vo>roc  (2),  .^//9^voc  (l),  Icppyj  (6),  A;//6c  (2),  pJvou  (l), 
linapo^  (i),  ;>oot6c  (8),  -^y/v/a  (7),  ;.y;fvoc  (3),  paxpodev  (3), 
papyap'izr^Z  (S),  *pdpfxapo<:  (i),  *papTupeou  (l),  *pdpTU<: 
(5),  *paadoiia.c  (i),  paaroz  (i),  f/^-'r^'^^'^i^  (2),  /-«i>^«C  (2), 
;/i^  (2),  pzaoupdvr^fia  (3),  fxeravoea)  (12),  [xstpeo}  (5), 
*peTC07rov  (8),  t//^xoc  (2),  //;^y  (6),  /i^yrs  (2),  //jVvy//r  (2), 
/iv:^//a  (i),  ■\noluvu}  (2),  poayoti  (i),  *pouacx6(:  (i),  *pijxd- 
opac  (i),  *p'jIcvo^  (i),  //yAoc  (i),  puaxijpcov  (4),  vauti^z  (i), 
V£^%  (7),  *U£<pp6;:  (i),  v^<Toc  (3),  voroc  (l),  vouc  (2), 
f^uA^voc  (i),  l^u/^ov  (7),  oyoooc(2),  oo£  (7),  6oo:!»c  (i),  o/zou- 
;£/iv;y  (3),  ofoc  (l),  (3>^:Voc  (4),  *olovdo(:  (i),  o/ivyw  (i), 
bpota)pa(i),  dq'j(:{y),  oTtcadeu  (^4),  f  o^oao-^c  (3),  *(^P/^'^/^<J'-{l), 
*6pvtov  (3),  badxcQ  (i),  otr^oc  (2),  o;)a;'  (9),  *oupd  (5),  o5c  (8), 
ofzlov  (i),  noude'ja)  (i),  1[7TavTOxpdT(op  (9),  rcapddscaoi;  (i), 
^ndpdalc^  (l),  naptp^olij  (i),  Ttapdivo^  (i),  Trda-^co  (i), 
Trardffffct)  (2),  Tzareco  (3),  Tzzipaapbq,  (i),  ^mltxif^opat  (i), 
*7tsp7tTO(:  (4),  Ttevdio)  (3),  t'"r£v^oc  (4),  nspt^dllo)  (12), 
7iepc^d)wupac  {2),  ^TtEpcppaho)  (i),  *7tizopac  {^),  7iirpa{2), 
■\7tixpalvc0  (3),  rdarzia  (3),  t;rAd[roc  (2),  TT/^iw  (i),  71^5^717 
(16),  ttA^'v  (i),  *'7tl^aa(i)  (i),  nlovatoi;  (4),  Trlouzio}  (5), 
Tzlouzoi;  (2),  Tiluvio  (2),  7ivzupaztxo>c,  (l),  *7todi^p7j(;  (i), 
-fTTolepia)  (6),  rrolspoi;  (9),  fTrovoc  (3),  Ttopveuo)  (5),  7r6/>v;5) 
(5),  7:6pvo<;  (2),  *nop(pDpa  (i),  *7iozapo(p6p7jzo<i  (i),  zozc^m 
(i),  Tzpoamyfj  (3),  Ttpoawnov  (9),  Ttpoiprjzda  (7),  fTToo^ijr^c 
(l),  *7Tpcocvd(:  (2),  Tzpcozozoxo^  (i),  Tczep'j^  (2),  TZTcopa  (3), 
■Kzofz'ta  (i),  TzuXibv  (11),  *rt'jpcvoz.  (i),  Tzopbopat  (2),  *~uppb<; 


198  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

(2),  pdidooi:  (4),  pauzi^co  (i),  fjidvj  (l),  pt^a  (2),  popcfaia 
(6),  ^poTia'ivouac  (i),  * pUTiapeoofiac  (i),  fpUTtapoi;  (i),  adxxo^ 
(2),  adXneY^  (6),  aaXTTc^co  (10),  aalmaxr^z  (i),  ^adinpupoq,  (i), 
*adpdcov  (2),  ^aapdovoz  (i),  aztopbc,  (7),  o-£:'w  (i),  at}yjvr^ 
(4),  *a£pLidaXe<:  (i),  arjpiaba)  (i),  t^^'r^?  (0»  t^^'^^V^oc  (4)* 
*aidrjpo(;  (i),  *acpa6z  (i),  axdvdaXov  (i),  (^r^v;^  (3),  axopncoQ 
(3),  axozi^ofiac  (^i),  axozoopLac  {2),  ^afiapdydivo^  (^i^,  *apdp- 
ayboz  (i),  tro^ja  (4),  aza<pu)c^  (i),  azT^pi^co  (i),  <rro^.:y  (5), 
azpdzeupa  (4},  *azprjVcdco  (2),  *<Tzprjuo<;  (i),  azuXo^  (2), 
aup^ouXebo)  (i),  auvdooXo:^  (3),  aui^xoci^coueoj  (i),  auvxocuiovo^ 
(i),  a(p6dpa{i),  trfpayii;  (13),  fra^aOTw^ooc  (i),  *za)Mvzcato(; 
(l),  ra;fOC  (2),  reTpc  (6),  zizapzot;  (7),  *r£r^y(^^a;poc  (l), 
r£;(;v;y  (i),  Z£x^iz7j<:  (i),  rr/i^of  (6),  *zifuozrj<:  (i),  *r6cov(i), 
*zo7Td^eov  (i),  zpsifo)  (2),  *zpiiivoq,  (i),  fzpuydo)  (2), 
*baxivdivo<;  (i),  *udxivdo^  (l),  *i;aA'i>oc  (3),  *5a-^oc  (2), 
^eroc  (i),  bnopovfj  (7),  Vif'Y^XoQ  (2),  u^^'oc  (i),  -\(fappaxia{2), 
*ipdppaxov  (i),  *ipappaxbc,  (2),  (fdeipo)  (l),  *(pcdX.7j  (12), 
S^'^og  (3),  ^ovs^c  (2),  ^ovoc  (i),  ^y;.;^  (21),  ^^;iov  (i), 
■fifioaz-jp  (i),  *-)(^dXayx  (4),  yjri}.v^z  (i),  ydXxtoz  (i),  ^yahcq- 
dcbv  (i),  *ya.Xxo}'t^m^ov  (2),  yaXxoi;  (i),  ydpaypa  (7),  ;f^/>a 
(i),  ;fr;^a'c(i8),  txf'>^fo^  (9),  tZ"'^^(0.  V''«/>oc(i),  tz>''«>/>oc 
(3),  *prvr|  (2),  t^o^C  (i),  //>yff£Oc  (15),  ;f,oyrT/ov  (5),  *;^^>y<76- 
^;^oc  (i),  *ypuaonpaaoc.  (i),  X/^^^''^  (4).  *XP'-Kybco  (2), 
t^£u^^'c(2),  t^;y^^'C«>(0'  Wfo-'CO.  t^''^Z;^oc  (3),  *i2(3), 
^'0;^  (4),  (hd'tvco  (i). 

WORDS   FOUND    IN    THE    EPISTLE   ONLY 

^ AyaTtfjzo::  (6),  otj-voc  (l),  dyyeXia  (2),  alayyvopLac  (i), 
aiZ7]p.a{i\  dXa'^ovla  (i),  dvopia  [i),  dvz'iypcazo^  {4),  ^ioq 
(2),  diduoca  (i),  ooxcpd^to  (i),  £yl;r£C  (i),  eTzayyeXJa  (i), 
iTrayysXXo)  (l),  ■^pezspoz  (2),  xadapi^o)  (2),  xazaytvdxTxto 
(2),  xo^ywv/a  (4),  t;c6>^.a<Trc  (i),  vs.avtaxoQ  (2),  *j;/;oy  (i),  o^sv 
(i),  TzaXacbq,  (2),  Tzapouaco.  (i),  Tztido)  (i),  TTi^c^v^y  (i),  Tzozandc 


THE   PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  I99 

(i),    azJAyyyo^j    (i),    xfAvlov   (7),    (favepba  (i),    yaprj  (i), 
'^KMy.a  (3),  iPrpMifdco  (i). 


WORDS    COMMON    TO    THE   THREE    WRITINGS 

^Ayandco  {GlJ,  E27,  A4),  d'fa~-j  (g8,  EI 8,  A2),  (X^^oc  (g6, 
EI,  A25),  dds?.(f6(;  (G14,  EI  5,  A5),  oI/2a  (g6,  E4,  A19),  auov 
(GI3,   EI,   AI4),   auovco::  (gi/,  e6,  Ai),   dxauco  (059,   EI4 
A46),    dlr^dcvo^   (g9,    e4,    aid),    a/l/a   (gi02,    E15,    A14) 
d.)lTJ)MV  (G15,   e6,   A2),   duapTia  (gi8,  EI7,  A3),   «v  (029, 
E5,  A2),   dudfJcoTTO^  (g59,   EI,   A25),  aTzo  (G40,  EI 9,  A37) 
djioazi/jM  (g28,  E3,  A3),  dousofLM  (04,  E3,  A2),  a^or^  (gi2 
EI,  A2),  dp-j^  (g8,  E31,  A3),  d(flr^fju  (G14,  e2,  A3),  ydp  (g66, 
E3,  A17),  ycuo/iac  (G53,  ei,  A37),  ycvcoaxo)  (G56,  E24,  A4) 
Ypdipco  (g22,  E13,  A29),   o^(i(Gi5,  e2,  A17),   didi3oXo(;  (g^ 
E4,  A5),   dtddaxco  (gig,  e3,  a  2),   did  cope  (075,  E7,  a  5  7) 
dixaco:;  (03,  E5,  A5),   dr/.acoauvrj  (g2,  E3,  A2),  ouuapac  (G36 
E2,  aid),  eav  (G41,  e2I,  A5),   £«v  ^3^  (gi8,  ei,  A4),  tc  p-q 
G15,  e2,  a8),   eIoov  (G36,  E2,  A56),  olda  (g82,  E15,  A 12) 
sVn'v  (G169,  E73,  A3 2),   tlaiv  (G14,  e5,  A25),  tcvox  (g3,  ei 
A2),  ^/i£v,  v^v,  -/y^av,  (098,  e6,  a  12,)  laopat  (g6,  e2,  A13) 
e£;rov  (G207,  E4,  a6),  zlz  (g88,  E9,  A79),  ere  (035,  ei,  A23) 
kx  {G167,  E34,  A38),  ipTipoadsu  (g5,  ei,  A3),  ev  (G223,  £79^ 
A58),  hzolj  (gi  I,  EI4,  A2),  iucorcioy  (gi,  ei,  A31),  i^epyopai 
(030,   E2,   A14),  £^a>  (G13,   EI,   A2),  iTTc  witli  dative  (07 
ei,    A15),  imdupta  (gi,   e3,    ai),  £/>^ov  (027,   E3,  A2i) 
Ipyopai  (G158,   E4,  A34),  layazo^  (g8,  E2,  a6),  £J^w  (G85 
E26,   A99),   ^doi  (G16,    EI,   A13),    'Coyq  (g37,    E13,   A17) 
■/j  (gi2,   ei,   A 5),  Yipipa  (G31,  EI,  A2i),  ddvavoz  (g8,   e6 
A19),  dklqpa  (gii,  e2,  ai),  ^£oc  (g8i,  e6i,  A97),  decopico 
(022,  EI,  A2),  Tva  (G128,  EI 8,  A32),  Iva  pij  (gi8,  e2,  aii) 
xaevo:;  (g2,  ei,  a8),  xaXeo)  (g2,  ei,  A7),  xapdia  (g7,  E4,  A3) 
xa-d  with  ace.  (g8,   ei,   a6),  xtcpae  (gj,   ei,   A2),  xoapo:: 
(076,   e22,   A3),  x/)/<Trc  (gii,   ei,  A4),  Xap^d.vo)  (046,  E3, 
A23),  Xiyco  (G264,   E49,  A95),  ;>oj'oc  (G40,   e6,   a  18),  X'ju) 


20O  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

(g6,  e2,  a6),  fiapTopiu)  (033,  e6,  A4),  [lapzopta  (G14,  e6, 
A9),  fisvco  (039,  E22,  Ai),  ;«erfii  with  gen.  (041,  E/,  A39), 
pLTj  (g49,  EI 5,  A12),  /i;o-i^t)  (oil,  E5,  A3),  povoc;  (09,  e2, 
ai),  vcxdu)  (gi,  e6,  A15),  opococ;  (g2,  ei,  a2i),  bpoXoyeu) 
(04,  E5,  ai),  ovo;/a  (g25,  e3,  A36),  bpdio  (G30,  e/,  a;), 
o(TTi^(Gy,  E2,  A9),  orav  (G17,  EI,  A9),  or^  (G263,  E75,  a6o), 
oy  (G267,  E48,  A55),  oude  (G14,  E3,  A 10),  oudec::  (G54,  E2, 
A12),  ouxizi  (a3,  G12),  ou;rfe>  (G13,  ei,  A2),  ootox;  (G15,  E2, 
A/),  dipdaXpoz  (G17,  E3,  A 10),  ;r<i^.;v  (G45,  ei,  A2),  ;rac 
(065,  E27,  A 5 4),  TtazT^p  (G137,  EI 4,  A 5),  T.zptr.azkco  (G17, 
E4,  A5),  TicazoQ  (gi,  EI,  a8),  7c?Mvdu)  (g2,  e2,  a8),  TzXrjpoio 
(015,  EI,  A2),  Ttvvjpa  (g23,  ei2,  ai8),  ;ro.'£w  (G104,  E12, 
A29),  tzoVjq  (G36,  E2,  a  1 4),  TcovTjpoz  (g3,  e6,  ai),  not)  (G19, 
EI,  ai),  Ttpoi;  with  ace.  (G98,  e8,  a6),  Tzpwzo^  (py,  ei,  A17), 
TTftic  (g20,  e2,  ai),  adp^  (gi3j  E2,  a6),  anippa  (03,  El,  Ai), 
rixvov  (g3,  e5,  A3),  zr^peo)  (gi8,  E7,  All),  zidr^pc  (gi8,  E2, 
A3),  zpe7(:  (g4,  e2,  aii),  uocop  (G23,  E3,  ai8),  yfoc  (056, 
E22,  A7),  brcdyco  (G32,  El,  a6),  (paivo)  (g2,  ei,  A4),  (pavspbo) 
(g9,  e9,  A2),  (fo^eoaac  (g5,  ei,  a6),  ^o^9oc  (03,  E3,  A3),  fcbQ 
(g24,  e5,  A3),  /£f>  (gi  5,  EI,  A 1 6),  ypBia  (G4,  e2,  A3),  ^f^eyi^oc 
(gi,  e2,  A3),  ^uy^  (gio,  E2,  A7),  wpa  (g26,  e2,  a  10),  a;c 

(GI3,  E2,  A70). 

WORDS    FOUND    IN    THE    APOCALYPSE    AND    IN    EITHER 
OF   THE    OTHERS 

''AyaXXcdo)  (ai,  G2),  d.yyzlo(;  {hd'J,  G4),  kyid^o)  (ai,  04), 
dyopd^co  (a6,  G3),  aipco  (g26,  A2),  dxoXoodeto  (a6,  G19), 
ct/ii^oc  (a  1 8,  G34),  dpi^v  (a  8,  026),  d.p7t5Xo(:  (a  2,  03), 
dvaj^acpo)  (A13,  G16),  dvayivaxTxco  (ai,  Gi),  dvdazaait:  (a 2, 
04),  di^epoi;  (A3,  Gl),  dv:^/)  (ai,  g8),  dvolyo)  (A26,  Gll), 
<?f;oc  (a7,  gi),  *d7idpTt  (ai,  G2),  dnkpyopat  (a8,  G2i), 
dnodvTjaxo)  (a6,  G27),  dnoxplvopat  (ai,  G78),  dTzoxzeivw 
(a 1 5,  GI2),  aTzoXXupi  (a I,  gig),  dyTo^rro^oc  (A3,  gi),  dncoXeca 
(a 2,  gi),  dptdp6(:  (a  10,  gi),  dpTcd^o)  (ai,  G4),  dp-^wv  (ai, 


THE   PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL   EVIDENCE  201 

G7),  abXij  (ai,  G3),  /?a^:^c  (ai,  gi),  ^dXlco  (a28,  gi8), 
^aadda  (a9,  g5),  j^aadeOt;  (a  19,  G16),  ^aard^w  (A3,  G5), 
fiei3Acov  (A23,  G2),  ^Xaaipr^fua  (a 5,  Gi),  j^/Jrrco  (ai6,  G16), 
^-a/ioc  (a2,  g3),  yeuudco  (eio,  gi8),  yrj  (a82,  gii),  yloiaaa 
(a8,  ei),  yupjoi;  (A3,  gi),  y-w;^  (a  19,  G22),  datnovcov 
(A3,  g6),  ^e?  (a8,  gig),  ozcxwjco  (a8,  g/),  deiTivov  (a2,  G3), 
dha-o^  (a2,  gi),  0£?^oc  (a9,  G2),  ^£^i/)o  (a 2,  gi),  ^eDre  (ai, 
G2),  dsurepo::  (a  1 3,  G4),  <5£ft>  (a2,  G4),  drji^dptov  (a2,  g2), 
dcftxoatoe  (G2,  A2),  dcdayij  (A3,  G3),  bupdco  (A3,  g6),  duoxio 
(ai,  G2),  <?6ca  (A17,  G18),  doH^io  (a2,  G22),  ooi)>?.oc  (AI4, 
Gii),  5yo  (a9,  G13),  dcodexa  (a2I,  g6),  dajpedv  (a2,  gi), 
i^oopo^  (a5,  gi),  ^hPpacari  (a2,  G5),  ^^-pc  (a2,  on),  iytc/HU 
(ai,  GI3),  £^voc  (a23,  GS),  er  oy  (ai,  G2),  tioioXov  (a I,  El), 
er/zj  (aio,  G54),  e?  (a8,  G26),  dpr^vri  (a2,  g6),  daspyopac 
(a5,  G15),  "ixaazoz  (a/,  G4),  Ix^dlloi  (a I,  g6),  ixs?  (a 5, 
G22),  ixsWeu  (ai,G2),  ixxevzico  (ai,  gi),  ixhxro^  (ai,  gi), 
ixTcopeuopoi  (a8,  G2),  Ixro^  (a5,  02),  ixyio)  (A9,  gi),  c^.«:V/ 
(a I,  gi),  kUxyo)  (a I,  G3),  ihodepo::  (A3,  G2),  e/ioc  (ai, 
G37),  £?  (a2,  03),  ivca'jzo:;  (ai,  G3),  iursuOeu  (AI,  05), 
iTzdvoj  (a2,  G2),  iqouaia  (a2I,  g8),  £-r  (with  gen.,  A59, 
09;  with  ace,  A74,  G2i),  Im^d/la)  (ai,  G2),  irzcnCTZza) 
(ai,  g8),  i7Tc<Jzpe(f(o  (a2,  gi),  irrczcdrjpc  (ai,  G3),  ipaoudo) 
(ai,  G2),  ipyd^opLoi  (a I,  07),  iprjpiot:  (a2,  G5),  i/>t5  (a5,  g6), 
J(T^/a>  (a6,  G15),  err  (a2,  g8),  kzoipd^co  (a 7,  g2),  Iroc  (a6, 
G3),  eudeo)^  (a I,  G3),  tupiaxco  (a  13,  GI9),  tbyapiazeco  (ai, 
03),  eiwc  (conj.,  AI,  G5  ;  prep.,  ai,  g6),  C'jr^<^«'  (ai,  G34), 
■^;?<:u  (a6,  G4),  6d)Maaa  (a26,  G9),  daupd^co  (A4,  g6),  ^i-^vW  (a6, 
G23),  deparcvjio  (a2,  gi),  depc^co  (a3,  04),  depcapoi;  (ai,  G2), 
^/J.^Y'rc  (a5,  G2),  ^/>/<^  (a2,  G2),  ^u/>a  (a4,  g7),  cdou  (a26,  G4), 

;£ry£!3c  (A3,  Gl),  IpdziOV  (Ay,  g6),  "aZT^pt  (A2I,  GI9),  fV^VW 
(ai,  gi),  xdyd)  (a5,  G31),  xadapoz  (A5,  04),  xdOr^pac  (a4, 
G4),  xadi^io  (a3,  G3),  xmpbci  (a5,  G3),  zajw  (a5,  G2),  /ftxoc 
(a2,  G2),  xapTio^  (a2,  09),  xardt  (with  gen.,  A3,  Gi),  xaza- 
jdaciico  (aio,  GI7),  xaza^olij  (a2,  Gi),  xazsaOuo  (A5,  Gl), 
xazr^yopico  (ai,  G3),  x£<pa?.ij  (ai8,  05),  x>^.a/a»  (a6,  g8),  Z/^.c/w 


202  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

(a6,  G2),  xXsTCZTji;  (A2,  G4),  XOTTcdtO  (aI,  03),  ZO/TOC  (a2,  gi), 

xpd^oj  (a 1 1,  G4),  xparsco  (a8,  gi),  z/>//za  (A3,  Gl),  ;f/)rW  (aq, 
G19),  xp'jTZTo)  (a3,  g3),  xuxlvjo)  (ai,  gi),  Kupco^  (a2I,  G53), 
i^.a^ew  (ai2,  G59),  laixKac,  (a2,  gi),  /aoc  (A9,  G3),  /If'^oc  (a8, 
G7),  ^otift)  (ai,  G i),  lioxdpioc,  {h.'j,  G2),  fiavdaviti  (a i,  G2),  fidvi^a 
(ai,  g2),  fidj^acpa  (gi,  A3),  //i^-ac  (a8o,  G5),  [xedixo  (a2,  gi), 
//iy'i/lfo  (A13,  GI  2),  //ijooc  (a4,  G3),  //i<70c  (a8,  gj),  ptezd  (with 
ace,  All,  G16),  fjthpov  (a2,  gi),  ou  p.-^  (A17,  G17),  prjodi; 
(a2,  ei),  p'JTTjp  (ai,  gio),  pcxpoQ  (aio,  g2),  pcpuTjaxofiac  (ai, 
G3),  luaQbz  (a2,  gi),  pvTjpovtuo)  (A3,  G3),  pLOtyeinn  (ai,  gi), 
va/  (A3,  G3),  vaoc  (a  16,  G3),  v£;f/>oc  (a  13,  g8),  vw/z^^y  (A4, 
gi),  vupifioQ  (a I,  G4),  vy?  (a8,  g6),  ^T^paivoi  (a2,  gi),  606c 
(a2,  G4),  orvoc  (a8,  g7),  67oc  (a5,  g6),  optouoi;  (a2,  G3), 
omW  (a3,  g7),  ottou  (aS,  G30),  d/v^;^'  (a6,  gi),  o)ooc  (a8, 
G5),  o<TOC  (a7,  gio),  ore  (ai2,  g2i),  ouxiu  (a3,  G12),  o5v 
(a6,  gioi),  obpavoQ  (A52,  G2o),  oyre  (a  16,  G9),  d'^rc  (a5, 
Gi),  oyXo;;  (a4,  G20),  d^rc  (ai,  G2),  Tiaiui  (ai,  gi),  Tcapd 
(with  gen.,  A2,  G25  ;  with  dat,  ai,  G9),  "^napdxkqroq,  (ai, 

04),    Ttdptipt    (a I,   G2),   TZUvdo)    (a I,   Gl),    TtUpd^O)    (A3,   G2), 

TzkpTioi  (a5,  G32),  Trivrs  (A3,  G5),  7r£/)£  (with  ace,  ai,  gi), 
^'yr'?  (a5>  G3),  7r-^pc  (ai,  gi),  Tr^a^w  (ai,  g8),  rdvco  (a3, 
gii),  Tt'inxo}  (a22,  g3),  mW^c  (A4,  ei),  Tthilov  (a2,  g8), 
;rvefy  (ai,  G2),  tzoQzv  (a2,  G13),  nocpoxvoi  (a4,  gi),  ;roToc 
(at,  G4),  Ttoh:;  (a26,  g8),  Tzopvda  (Ay,  gi),  Tiopfupeoq  (a2, 
G2),  nozaiio^  (a 8,  gi),  Trdre  (ai,  G2),  Tiozrjptov  (a4,  gi), 
;ro:;C  (ai  i,  G14),  Trpea^uzepo^  (ai2,  gi),  Tzpo^azov  (ai,  G19), 
;r/?dc  (with  dat,  Ai,  G3),  izpoaxuvio)  (a24,  G12),  TtpoiprjZEooi 
(a2,  gi),  7tpO(p-^z7](;  (a8,  G14),  nzoiyoc,  (a2,  G4),  ;ry/)  (a27, 
Gi),  TtcoXeco  (ai,  G2),  arjptlov  {jcj,  G17),  tr^z-oc  (a2,  gi), 
axvjoq,  (a3,  gi),  axrjvoo)  (a4,  gi),  a7Trj)Mcov  (ai,  gi),  azddiov 
(a2,  gi),  azaupoto  (ai,  GIO),  Gzs(favoQ  (a8,  gi),  azr^doQ 
(a I,  G2),  (Tr;yxa>  (a I,  G2),  <7rd/i«  (a2I,  gi),  azpiipco  (ai,  G4), 
<Tyziy  (a I,  G2),  aovdyco  (a6,  G7),  auvajcDX^  (a2,  G2),  auvzpc^a) 
(ai,  gi,)  (Tup(o(Ai,  gi),  acpd^co  (a8,  ei),  a(ppaYt^(o  (a8,  G2), 
<Tw/za  (ai,  g6),  amzrjpia  (a3,  gi),  ra;fu  (a6,  gi),  ri  (ai,  G3), 


THE   PROBLEM  :    INTERNAL    EVIDENCE  203 

Te/J(o  (a8,  G2),  T£?.o^  (a3,  gi),  zaaaapdxovza  (a6,  GI),  zeaaa- 
/>£C  (A27,  G2),  zixzo)  (a5,  gi),  zcfiT^  (a6,  gi),  ro/TOc  (a8, 

GI7),  ZfJS^O)  (at,  G2),  ZfJCZU^  (A22,  gi),  ZOfXoi;  (AI,  GI6),  tiyTO 

(with  gen.,  A2,  gi),  utioxolzco  (a4,  gi),  ^^i/^to  (a2,  G17),  y^et^^-w 
(a4,  G3),  ^^/liw  (a2,  G13),  *<forui$,  (ai,  gi),  (fpeap  (a4,  G2), 
ifulaxT^  (a3,  gi),  (fcDveco  (ai,  G13),  yjwv^y  (A52,  Gi  5),  cpcozi^w 
(a3,  Gi)»  X'^^'/"^  (^2,  G9),  j^a^ofc  (a2,  G3),  ^Olapioz  (a2,  gi), 
Xoprd^o)  (a  I,  GI),  X«/^roc  (a  2,  G  i),  X/>ovoc  (A4,  G5), 
(peudopac  (ai,  ei),  Traeudonpofjzrj^  (A3,  Ei),  w(5e  (a6,  G5), 
wantp  (a I,  G2). 


WORDS    FOUND    IN    THE    GOSPEL   AND    EPISTLE,   BUT    NOT 
IN    THE    apocalypse 

\iYViC,u)  (gi.  El),  ddcxla  (gi,  E2),  alzico  (gi  I,  e5),  dXrjdeca 
(g2  5,  e9),  dXyjdT^z  (gi  5,  e2),  dk/jdio;  (g/,  ei),  dpapzdvto  (04, 
Eio),  dvayyillo}  (g5,  ei),  dvQpoiriOxzbvoz.  (gi,  e2),  dizayfkDM 
(gi,  E3),  anzopm  (gi,  ei),  dpeazo::  (gi,  ei),  £f  (G31,  E5), 
£V/^£v  (g4,  e8),  iari  (G17,  E2),  J  (gi8,  E31),  .^o-^  (gi6,  e2), 
dsdopai  (g6,  e3),  xado)^  (03 1,  E9),  /^jyoi  (G2,  E2),  povoytvrj:: 
(g4,  ei),  /zovoc  (g5,  e2),  vov  (g29,  E4),  d(pti)M  (g2,  E3), 
Tiacoiov  (g3,  E4),  napdyoj  (gi,  e2),  7Tapp-/;ma  (g9,  E4),  ;r£/^£ 
(with  gen.,  G67,  E9),  ruaztuco  (095,  E9),  nwizoze  (G4,  ei), 
■\axozia  (G9,  e5),  <Tx6roc  (gi,  ei),  <Twr3y/?  (gi,  ei),  zeXecoco 
(g5,  E4),  zuifXoa}  (gi,  ei),  5;r£^  (with  gen.,  G13,  e2), 
(p'Adaao)  (03,  ei),  ;(ajO(i  (09,  ei),  (ptuazric,  (gi,  E5). 


PART  II 

A  NEW  TRANSLATION  OF  THE 
JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

Arranged  in  Modern  Literary  Form 


INTRODUCTION 

NO  book  written  in  a  foreign  tongue  has  been 
translated  into  English  so  many  times  as  the 
New  Testament ;  yet  the  New  Testament  has  never  been 
translated  into  English.  This  paradox  will  appear  to  be 
amply  justified  if  we  ask  ourselves,  What  constitutes  a 
translation?  The  translator's  material  is  a  composition 
in  another  language  than  his  vernacular,  and  often  in  an 
unfamiliar  literary  form :  and  his  task  is  to  reproduce 
that  book  in  his  mother  tongue  and  in  the  literary  forms 
of  his  people  and  time,  in  such  manner  as  will  best 
convey  to  his  readers  the  best  of  the  original.  Something 
of  the  flavor  of  any  piece  of  literature  is  certain  to 
evaporate  in  the  process — this  is  regrettable  but  in- 
evitable— yet  Emerson  was  right  in  saying  that  the  best 
in  any  author  is  capable  of  being  conveyed  through  the 
medium  of  a  translation. 

Translations  are  imperfect  and  unsatisfactory  for  one 
of  three  reasons:  first,  the  translator  has  failed  to  appre- 
hend the  meaning  of  his  original;  or,  second,  he  has 
not  successfully  transferred  the  meaning  of  his  author 
into  the  idiom  of  his  own  language;  or,  third,  he  has  not 
chosen  a  literary  form  that  makes  the  spirit  of  the 
original  easily  comprehended.  In  the  first  case  his  ver- 
sion is  defective  in  scholarship;  in  the  second,  it  is  lack- 
ing in  accuracy,  or  charm,  or  both ;  in  the  third,  it  seems 
unnecessarily  strange  and  unfamiliar. 

The  translations  of  the  New  Testament  most  widely 
current  have  failed  not  merely  in  one  of  these  particulars, 
but  in  all  three.  If  any  exception  can  be  allowed,  it  is 
that  the  American  Standard  Version  is  satisfactory  in  the 

207 


2o8  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

single  particular  of  adequate  scholarship ;  yet  even  in  that, 
there  has  occasionally  been  shown  a  lack  of  courage  to 
adopt  the  reading  or  rendering  that  scholarship  demands, 
and  it  fails  grievously  in  the  other  two  particulars.  It 
progresses  a  good  distance  beyond  the  archaism  of  the 
King  James  Version,  but  falls  at  least  as  far  short  of  the 
idiom  of  our  own  day.  The  "  Twentieth  Century  New 
Testament,"  Weymouth's  "  Modern  Speech  New  Testa- 
ment," and  Mofifat's  "  New  Translation  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament "  are  all  praiseworthy  attempts  at  a  version  in 
idiomatic  English;  but  the  idiom  too  often  lacks  the 
dignity  desirable  in  a  version  of  the  New  Testament. 
Religious  sensibilities  should  not  be  unnecessarily  shocked 
by  the  use  of  too  familiar  words  or  colloquial  phrases. 
The  English  of  cultivated  men  and  women  of  our  day 
should  be  the  standard:  neither  stilted  nor  slangy;  but 
correct,  simple,  and  dignified,  without  stiffness. 

As  for  literary  form,  no  translator  has  had  the  full 
courage  of  his  convictions.  None  has  ventured  even  to 
cast  aside  altogether  the  absurd  chapter  and  verse  divi- 
sions, and  print  the  New  Testament  in  an  English 
"  dress,"  as  if  it  were  a  book  issued  for  the  first  time 
under  the  supervision  of  a  competent  editor.  It  was  a 
step  in  the  right  direction  when  these  arbitrary  divisions, 
that  often  cut  a  paragraph  in  half,  and  sometimes  a 
sentence,  were  banished  to  the  margin ;  but  they  ought  to 
be  wholly  banished  from  a  version  intended  to  be  read. 
Students  of  the  Bible  can  easily  keep  one  copy  (which 
may  be  a  very  cheap  one)  for  verifying  references;  and 
there  is  undeniable  usefulness  in  such  a  copy  for  pur- 
poses of  study.  But  in  a  version  to  be  read,  the  whole 
intent  of  which  is  to  bring  the  sacred  writings  as  close 
as  possible  to  the  comprehension  and  appreciation  of  one 
who  cannot  for  himself  read  the  original,  these  barriers 
should  be  removed. 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  209 

It  was  a  further  step  forward  when  the  text  was 
printed  in  paragraphs,  more  as  modern  books  are  printed ; 
but  this  was  only  partial  conformity  to  modern  literary 
methods.  A  good  part  of  the  Gospels  is  in  the  form  of 
conversation  or  dialogue,  and  should  be  printed  as  such 
matter  appears  in  modern  books.  That  is  to  say,  each 
remark  should  be  printed  by  itself  in  a  separate  para- 
graph; and  spoken  words  should  be  distinguished  from 
narrative  or  comment  by  quotation-marks.  The  New 
Testament  abounds  in  quotations  from  the  Old,  which 
should  be  distinguished  from  the  main  text  either  by 
quotation-marks  or  by  being  printed  in  different  type. 
Many  of  these  quotations  from  the  Old  Testament  are 
Hebrew  poetry,  and  ought  to  be  printed  as  such,  fol- 
lowing the  Hebrew  "  parallelism."  Not  only  so,  but 
large  parts  of  several  books  of  the  New  Testament  are 
themselves  composed  in  the  form  of  Hebrew  poetry,  and 
should  be  printed  accordingly.  This  is  especially  true  of 
the  Johannine  writings,  and  of  the  discourses  of  Jesus 
in  the  Synoptic  Gospels.  A  translation  of  Homer  printed 
as  ordinary  English  prose  is  no  greater  failure  to  represent 
adequately  the  spirit  and  form  of  the  Iliad  than  the  print- 
ing of  the  Apocalypse  as  plain  prose  fails  to  convey  to 
the  English  reader  the  merits  of  that  remarkable  com- 
position. It  may  of  course  be  maintained  that  the  ideal 
implied  in  these  criticisms  is  an  impossible  one;  but  the 
retort  is  obvious  and  forceful:  nobody  has  a  right  to 
say  that  until  at  least  one  translator  has  tried  and 
egregiously  failed. 

When  we  have  banished  from  our  New  Testament  text 
the  inept  traditional  divisions,  and  resolved  to  print  prose 
as  prose,  and  poetry  as  poetry,  we  have  made  a  good 
beginning ;  but  much  will  remain  to  be  done.  The  liter- 
ary art  of  the  Apostolic  age  did  not  demand  many  things 
that  are  absolutely  requisite  in  the  "  dress  "  of  a  book 
o 


2IO  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

to-day.  A  translator  has  not  performed  his  full  duty, 
therefore,  until  he  has  given  the  text  such  literary  form 
as  the  author  himself  would  choose  were  he  now  living 
and  able  to  supervise  the  publication  of  his  work.  The 
objection  to  chapters  and  verses  is  not  that  they  are 
of  comparatively  modern  origin,  but  that  they  are  not 
modern  enough.  They  are  faulty,  not  as  divisions  of 
the  text,  but  as  wrong  divisions.  The  men  who  made 
them  were  quite  right  in  attempting  to  edit  the  text 
for  their  time;  they  botched  their  work  because  they  did 
not  know  how  to  edit,  even  for  their  own  day,  much  less 
for  ours. 

In  a  word,  of  all  Satan's  masterpieces  for  hindering 
the  understanding  of  the  word  of  God  by  men  until  now, 
translations  have  been  chief.  By  inspiring  men  to  trans- 
late and  print  the  Bible  in  archaic  and  unfamiliar  idiom, 
and  put  it  into  literary  forms  that  would  make  repulsive 
to  readers  any  of  the  great  works  of  the  world's  litera- 
ture, the  adversary  of  souls  has  done  his  best  to  make 
the  most  fresh  and  vigorous  and  life-giving  book  in  all 
the  world  seem  the  dullest  and  most  corpselike.  That 
the  New  Testament  has  continued  to  be  read  and  ad- 
mired, and  even  to  some  extent  understood,  and  has  given 
life  and  hope  and  comfort  to  generations,  is  complete 
demonstration  of  its  divine  origin.  Any  book  of  purely 
human  origin  would  have  perished  long  ago  under  such 
treatment.  The  Italians  are  right:  traduttori,  traditori — 
translators  are  traitors — they  betray  those  whom  they 
profess  to  befriend. 

What  may  be  called  the  distinctive  feature  of  this  ver- 
sion of  the  Johannine  writings,  therefore,  is  the  attempt 
at  once  to  be  faithful  to  the  original,  and  to  adhere 
strictly  to  the  English  of  our  own  day — ^the  English  ac- 
tually spoken  and  written  by  cultured  people.  This  in- 
volves : 


A    NEW    translation:    apocalypse  211 

1.  The  choice  of  English  idioms,  EngHsh  construction, 
English  arrangement  of  the  words  of  a  sentence,  rather 
than  Greek.  A  literal  translation  is  often  a  mistrans- 
lation. It  also  involves  recognition  of  the  differences, 
well  recognized  in  our  literary  conventions,  between  the 
vocabulary  and  order  of  poetry  and  prose. 

2.  The  choice  of  words  and  phrases  that  are  homely 
and  familiar,  together  with  turns  of  phrase  that  are 
neither  flippant  nor  slangy.  Colloquial  English  may  also 
be  good  English. 

And  while  (to  borrow  a  phrase  from  Luther)  the 
cardinal  principle  of  translation  has  been  to  make  the 
apostle  speak  English,  there  are  some  minor  effects  aimed 
at  that  are  also  believed  to  be  distinctive,  such  as : 

1.  To  observe,  wherever  the  English  idiom  permits,  as 
it  generally  does,  the  distinctions  of  the  Greek  tenses, 
especially  the  imperfect. 

2.  To  make  the  distinction  between  "  shall "  and 
"  will,"  and  "  should  "  and  "  would,"  that  is  recognized 
by  the  best  English  usage. 

3.  To  preserve  more  accurately  the  distinction  between 
"  that  "  in  restrictive  clauses,  and  "  who  "  or  "  which  " 
in  coordinate  clauses. 

4.  To  make  clear  the  distinction  between  the  simple 
and  emphatic  negative,  and  convey  the  force  of  [i^  in  in- 
terrogative sentences. 

5.  To  render  better  the  peculiar  meaning  of  certain 
Greek  particles,  as  bk  and  dbv. 

6.  To  make  the  emphatic  words  of  the  original  similarly 
emphatic  in  the  version.  Often  this  can  be  done  by  the 
arrangement  of  words  in  the  sentence.  Sometimes  re- 
sort must  be  had  to  italics  for  emphasis.  This  is  oftenest 
necessary  in  the  case  of  emphatic  pronouns.  Words  in- 
serted in  order  to  complete  the  sense  are  not  italicized, 
but  are  placed  within  square  brackets. 


212  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

It  is  believed  that  these  things  may  be  done  not  only 
without  pedantry,  but  with  distinct  enhancement  of  the 
naturalness  and  vivacity  of  the  narrative.  It  is  for  others 
to  say  whether  the  experiment  is  successful. 

It  remains  to  note  one  other  distinctive  feature  of  this 
version,  quite  independent  of  mere  translation,  namely, 
the  unique  arrangement  of  the  text.  No  competent  liter- 
ary critic  can  study  the  Fourth  Gospel  without  being  con- 
vinced that  it  is  a  literary  whole,  the  work  (in  its  present 
form,  at  least)  of  one  mind,  animated  by  a  single  definite 
purpose.  But  study  of  the  text  has  led  the  translator 
to  the  conclusion  that  something  has  befallen  this  Gospel 
which  has  not  happened  to  any  other  book  in  the  New 
Testament.  There  has  been  an  extraordinary  transposi- 
tion of  considerable  portions  of  the  text,  resulting  in  con- 
fusion that  a  hasty  mind  might  pronounce  hopeless. 

To  begin  with  the  clearest  case :  the  story  of  the  woman 
taken  in  adultery.  There  is  now  practical  unanimity  of 
opinion  that  this  does  not  belong  in  its  present  place ;  and 
there  is  no  other  place  in  the  Gospel  where  it  can  be 
confidently  said  to  belong.  Nevertheless,  it  bears  most 
convincing  internal  evidence  of  being  a  genuine  part  of 
apostolic  tradition,  and  may  have  been  part  of  the  orig- 
inal text  of  this  Gospel.  In  the  absence  of  further  knowl- 
edge, the  only  course  consistent  with  literary  honesty 
is  to  print  it  as  an  appendix  to  the  Gospel — a  fragment 
of  uncertain  origin,  but  certifying  to  itself  as  true. 

Is  it  not  almost  as  plain,  if  not  quite,  that  the  passage 
7  :  19-24  does  not  belong  in  its  present  position,  but 
directly  after  5  :  47?  It  is  obviously  a  continuation 
of  the  discourse  in  chapter  5,  and  would  be  as  pertinent 
there  as  it  is  absurd  where  it  now  stands. 

Again,  8  :  21-30  is  the  evident  and  logical  sequence 
of  the  discourse  ending  with  7  :  36.  Let  any  reader  turn 
at  once  from  the  passage  last  named  to  8  :  21,  and  he 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalyi'se  213 

will  have  no  doubt  regarding  the  close  connection  of  the 
two  passages. 

It  is  almost  equally  evident  that  8  :  12-20  belongs, 
not  where  it  now  stands,  but  after  chapter  9.  It  is  per- 
tinent as  a  conclusion  of  the  discourse  delivered  to  the 
Jews  after  the  sign  of  the  man  born  blind;  it  seems  the 
fitting  climax  to  that  discourse,  and  explains  the  spiritual 
significance  of  the  miracle.  Where  it  now  stands  it  is 
disconnected  from  anything  that  could  have  suggested  it, 
and  thus  becomes  comparatively  meaningless. 

Again,  the  discourse  on  the  Good  Shepherd  is  so  con- 
fused as  seriously  to  mar  its  significance.  It  should  be 
rearranged  and  read  in  the  following  order:  10  :  22-29; 
1-18;  30-39.  And  the  verses  19-21  in  this  chapter  clearly 
belong  in  the  chapter  preceding — say  after  verse  41. 

But  it  is  in  the  last  discourse  of  our  Lord  to  his  dis- 
ciples that  the  text  has  suffered  worst.  Here  it  has  been 
so  badly  jumbled  that  to  restore  it  to  its  original  order 
solely  from  internal  evidence  (unfortunately  our  only  re- 
source at  present)  is  an  exceedingly  delicate  and  per- 
plexing task.  At  the  very  beginning  of  the  discourse,  our 
difficulties  also  begin.  For  13  :  34,  35  surely  does  not 
belong  in  its  present  position,  where  it  is  a  distinct  and 
incredible  interruption  of  the  thought.  We  cannot  doubt 
that  verse  36  was  intended  by  the  writer  to  follow  im- 
mediately after  verse  33.  Verses  34  and  35  evidently 
belong  in  connection  with  that  part  of  the  address  con- 
tained in  15  :  9-17.  The  brief  passage  15  :  26,  27  has 
also  been  misplaced  and  belongs  with  14  :  15-18  and 
16  :  12-15,  which  have  also  become  separated.  Then  too, 
it  is  plain  that  16  :  12-15,  instead  of  being  where  it  now 
is,  should  stand  very  near  the  close  of  the  discourse. 
And  where  is  that  close?  Where  can  it  possibly  be  but 
at  14  :  30,  31?  It  is  incredible  that  Jesus  said,  "Arise, 
and  let  us  be  going  from  this  place,"  and  then  continued 


214  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

with  the  further  converse  of  chapters  15  and  16.  This 
difficulty  has  always  been  felt,  and  various  ingenious 
attempts  have  been  made  to  surmount  it;  but  we  must 
have  courage  to  draw  the  conclusion  that  we  should 
certainly  draw  from  such  facts  in  any  other  book  than 
the  New  Testament. 

Besides  the  difficulties  already  suggested,  which  would 
be  removed  by  the  rearrangement  proposed  and  adopted 
in  this  translation,  there  are  certain  absurdities  in  the 
received  text  that  disappear  when  the  text  is  so  rear- 
ranged. For  example,  Jesus  says  in  16  :  5,  "  And  now 
I  am  going  to  Him  that  sent  me,  and  none  of  you  asks 
me,  'Where  are  you  going?'"  Whereas  in  13  :  36, 
Peter  has  already  asked  him  that  precise  question.  But 
if  the  order  of  these  two  passages  is  reversed,  the  ab- 
surdity vanishes.  The  same  is  true  of  the  passage  13  : 
31-38,  so  obviously  out  of  place  where  it  now  stands. 
Jesus  makes  a  digression  in  his  discourse  about  the  com- 
ing of  the  Comforter  to  speak  of  his  death,  and  to  pre- 
dict the  denial  of  Peter.  In  so  doing  he  has  shocked 
his  disciples,  and  in  chapter  14  he  soothes  them  and 
speaks  again  "  with  large,  divine,  and  comfortable  words." 

To  delay  no  longer  regarding  processes,  but  come  at 
once  to  results :  This  last  discourse  should,  on  its  own  in- 
ternal evidence,  be  arranged  in  the  following  order:  15  : 
1-8;  13  :  34,  35;  15  :  9-25;  16  :  i-ii ;  16  :  16-33;  13  : 
31  to  14  :  24;  15  :  26,  27;  14  :  25-29;  16  :  12-15;  14  : 
30,  31.  Alternate  arrangements  of  a  few  of  the  verses 
are  possible,  with  perhaps  equally  good  consecution  of 
thought;  and  between  such  possible  arrangements  there 
is  no  means  now  in  our  possession  of  deciding  which  is 
that  of  the  original  autograph.  But  this  at  least  may 
be  said  with  some  confidence:  it  would  hardly  be  pos- 
sible to  make  a  worse  arrangement  than  that  of  our  com- 
mon printed  text  by  taking  the  various  paragraphs  of  the 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalypse  215 

discourse,  shuffling  them  together,  and  placing  them  at 
random.  Indeed,  something  very  like  that  is,  in  all  prob- 
ability, what  once  happened  to  the  text — by  accident,  of 
course,  not  from  design. 

Spitta  was  the  first  to  propose  a  plausible  hypothesis 
in  explanation  of  the  observed  facts.  He  suggested  that 
the  Fourth  Gospel  was  originally  written  on  papyrus 
sheets  containing  about  eighteen  lines  each,  or  eight 
hundred  Greek  letters.  These  sheets  became  accidentally 
misplaced  in  the  making  of  an  early  copy  of  the  auto- 
graph— the  copy  that  became  the  original  of  all  existing 
texts  and  versions.  It  is  a  fact  that  nearly  all  of  the 
misplaced  passages  are  either  about  eight  hundred  letters 
long  in  the  Greek  text,  or  multiples  of  that  number.  If 
what  Spitta  supposed  did  actually  happen,  it  would  have 
given  us  approximately  the  result  we  have  before  us.^ 

Some  will  no  doubt  object  to  this  handling  of  the  text 
as  arbitrary  and  irreverent;  but  this  translation  is  in  no 
great  danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  those  not 
intelligent  enough  to  perceive  that  the  method  is  really 
both  rational  and  reverent.  The  received  text,  indeed, 
might  be  called  arbitrary,  if  it  were  not  far  more  likely 
accidental.  True  reverence  for  the  Bible  compels  the 
Christian  scholar  to  do  his  utmost  to  restore  the  text 
to  the  condition  of  the  original  autographs.  This  is  the 
end  of  all  textual  study ;  and  the  more  fully  one  believes 
in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  the  more  he  is  bound 
to  leave  nothing  undone  to  arrive  at  the  original  text. 

Some  passages  in  the  Johannine  writings  are  generally 

^  Bacon  (loc.  cit.,  p.  498)  ur^es  that  the  theory  of  accident  is  excluded 
almost  at  once  (a)  by  the  magrnitude  of  the  phenomena,  (b)  the  paucity  of 
remaining  traces  in  the  manuscripts  and  versions,  and  (c)  the  evidences  of 
the  context;  and  so  he  would  lay  all  the  blame  on  that  convenient  scape- 
goat, the  "  redactor."  But  to  this  it  may  be  replied:  (a)  There  is  no  limit 
to  possible  displacements  through  accidental  confusion  of  leaves  of  the 
autograph;  (b)  and  these  would  leave  no  fares  in  Fathers  and  versions,  if 
it  occurred  ex  hypothesi  before  any  existinj;  MS.  was  written;  and  (c)  the 
objection  entirely  disappears  if  a  logical  and  connected  order  of  the  existing 
text  can  be  found. 


2l6  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

conceded  to  be  interpolations,  and  others  are  explana- 
tory remarks,  both  of  which  would  be  printed  in  a 
modern  book  as  foot-notes.  The  translator  has,  there- 
fore, so  placed  them ;  and  his  own  notes,  which  he  has 
tried  to  make  as  few  as  possible,  are  distinguished  by 
an  appended  "  Tr." 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  APOCALYPSE 

PROLOGUE 

THE  REVELATION  OF  JESUS  CHRIST^ 

Which  God  gave  him  to  show  his  slaves 

What  things  must  soon  come  to  pass; 

And  he  sent  and  made  known  through  his  angel 

To  his  slave 

JOHN; 

Who  testified  to  the  word  of  God 

And  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ 

How  extraordinary  things  he  saw. 

Happy  the  reader,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  the 
prophecy,  and  lay  to  heart  the  things  that  have  been  writ- 
ten in  it,  for 

THE  CRISIS  IS  AT  HAND. 


^  Revelation    i  :  1-3    corresponds    almost    exactly    to    the    title-page    of   a 
modem  book,  and  is  so  printed  here. — Tr. 


217 


2l8  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

I 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

John  to  the  Seven  Churches  that  are  in  Asia : 

Grace  to  you,  and  peace  from  him  that  is  and  was  and 
is  coming,  and  from  the  Seven  Spirits  that  are  before 
his  throne,  and  from  Jesus  Christ,  the  faithful  witness, 
the  first-born  of  the  dead  and  the  Ruler  of  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth. 

To  him  who  loved  us 

And  freed  us  from  our  sins  by  his  blood, 

And  made  us  a  kingdom,  priests  to  God  and  his  Father — 

To  him  be  honor  and  power  unto  the  ages,  Amen. 

Behold,  he  is  coming  among  the  clouds, 

And  every  eye  will  see  him. 

Even  they  that  pierced  him. 

And  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  will  mourn  over  him. 

By  all  means  so  let  it  be. 

"  I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,"  says  the  Lord  God, 
"  Who  is  and  who  was  and  who  will  come,  the  Ruler 
of  all." 

I,  John,  your  brother  and  partaker  with  you  in  the 
distress  and  kingdom  and  endurance  in  Jesus,  was  in  the 
island  called  Patmos,  because  of  the  word  of  God  and 
the  testimony  of  Jesus.  I  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's 
day,  and  heard  behind  me  a  great  voice,  as  of  a  trumpet, 
saying, 

"  Write  what  you  see  in  a  book  and  send  it  to  the  seven 
churches:  Ephesus  and  Smyrna  and  Pergamos  and 
Thyatira  and  Sardis  and  Philadelphia  and  Laodicea." 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalypse  219 

And  I  turned  to  see  the  voice  that  was  talking  with  me, 

And  having  turned  I  saw  seven  golden  lamps, 

And  in  the  midst  of  the  lamps  One  like  a  son  of  man, 

Clothed  in  a  long  robe 

And  girt  about  the  breast  with  a  golden  girdle. 

Now  his  head  and  his  hair  were  white  as  white  wool,  [or] 

as  snow, 
And  his  eyes  like  a  flame  of  fire. 
And  his  legs  -  \Vere  like  burnished  bronze,  as  if  glowing 

in  a  furnace. 
And  his  voice  like  a  voice  of  many  waters; 
And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars ; 
And  from  his  mouth  there  went  forth  a  sharp  two-edged 

sword, 
And  his  face  appeared  like  the  sun  shining  in  his  power. 
And  when  I  saw  him,  I  fell  before  his  feet  like  one  dead. 
And  he  put  his  right  hand  on  me,  saying, 

"  Do  not  fear. 

I  am  the  First  and  the  Last,  and  the  Living  One. 

And  I  was  dead,  yet  see !    I  am  alive  for  age  after  age, 

And  I  have  the  keys  of  death  and  Hades. 

Write,  therefore,  what  you  see, 

And  what  are  the  things  about  to  take  place  after  these. 

The  mystery  of  the  seven  stars  that  you  saw  on  my  right 

hand  and  the  seven  golden  lamps  [is  this]  : 
The  seven  stars  are  the  Angels  of  the  seven  churches, 
And  the  seven  lamps  are  seven  churches. 

1 

"  Write  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Ephesus : 

'  These  things  says  he  that  holds  the  seven  stars  in  his 

right  hand, 
He  that  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  lamps : 

-  n-dSes,  a  Hebraism. — Tr, 


220  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

I  know  your  works,  and  your  labor  and  endurance, 

And  that  you  cannot  tolerate  evil  men; 

And  you  made  trial  of  those  that  call  themselves  apostles, 

but  are  not,  and  found  them  liars ; 
And  you  have  endurance  and  bore  for  my  Name's  sake, 

and  have  not  become  weary. 
But  I  have  this  against  you, 
You  gave  up  your  first  love. 
Remember  then  whence  you  have  fallen, 
And  turn  about  and  do  your  first  works  ; 
Otherwise,  I  am  coming  to  you. 
And  I  shall  remove  your  lamp-stand  from  its  place 
Unless  you  turn  about.     But  you  have  this    [to  your 

credit], 
That  you  hate  the  works  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  I  also 

hate. 

'  Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches. 
To  him  that  is  victor — I  shall  give  him  to  eat  of  the  tree 

of  life. 
Which  is  in  the  Paradise  of  God.' 

2 

"  Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna : 

'  These  things  says  the  First  and  the  Last, 
Who  was  dead  and  lives : 

I  know  your  suffering  and  poverty 
(Yet  you  are  rich), 

And  the  blasphemy  of  those  that  call  themselves  Jews 
Yet  are  not,  but  a  S5magogue  of  Satan. 
Do  not  fear  what  you  are  about  to  suffer : 
Lo,  the  devil  is  about  to  cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that 
you  may  be  tested, 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalypse  221 

And  you  will  suffer  persecution  ten  days.^ 
Be  faithful  till  death,  and  I  shall  give  you  the  crown  of 
life. 

'  Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches. 
He  that  is  victor  will  not  be  hurt  by  the  second  death.' 

3 
"  Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Pergamos : 

*  These   things   says   he   that   has   the   sharp   two-edged 

sword : 

I  know  where  you  dwell,  where  the  throne  of  Satan  is. 
And  you  hold  fast  my  Name  and  did  not  deny  my  faith — 
Even  in  the  days  of  Antipas,  my  faithful  witness,  who 

was  killed  among  you  where  Satan  dwells. 
But  I  have  a  few  things  against  you. 
Because  you  have  there  those  that  hold  the  teaching  of 

Balaam, 
Who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling-block  before  the 

sons  of  Israel,^ 
To  eat  food  offered  to  idols  and  to  commit  fornication. 
Likewise  you  have  those  that  hold  in  like  manner  the 

teaching  of  the  Nicolaitans. 
Turn  about,  then ; 

Otherwise,  I  am  coming  quickly  to  you, 
And  shall  make  war  with  the  sword  of  my  mouth. 

*  Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches. 
To  him  that  is  victor  I  shall  give  of  the  hidden  manna  ; 

3  Symbolical  for  a  short  time,  that  would  soon  pass  away. — Tr. 
*  Num.  25  :  1-3. — Tr, 


222  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  I  shall  give  him  a  white  stone,^ 
And  upon  that  stone  a  new  name  written, 
Which  no  one  knows  save  he  that  receives  it* 

4 
"  Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Thyatira : 

'  These  things  says  the  Son  of  God, 
Who  has  eyes  like  a  flame  of  fire  and  legs  like  burnished 
bronze : 

I  know  your  works, 

And  your  love  and  faith  and  service  and  endurance, 

And  that  your  last  works  are  greater  than  your  first. 

But  I  have  this  against  you. 

That  you  tolerate  the  woman  Jezebel,  who  calls  herself  a 

prophetess. 
And  teaches  and  deceives  my  slaves  into  fornication  and 

eating  food  offered  to  idols. 
And  I  gave  her  time  to  turn  about. 

Yet  she  is  not  willing  to  turn  away  from  her  fornication. 
Lo,  I  throw  her  upon  a  bed  [of  illness] 
And  those  who  have  committed  adultery  with  her  into 

great  suffering, 
Unless  they  turn  away  from  her  works. 
And  her  children  I  shall  certainly  put  to  death, 
And  all  the  churches  will  recognize  that  I  am  he  that 

searches  heart  and  soul ; 
And  I  shall  give  to  each  of  you  according  to  your  works. 
Now  I  say  to  the  rest  in  Thyatira, 
All  that  do  not  hold  this  teaching, 
That  did  not  know  what  they  call  the  "  profundities  " ' 

of  Satan, 

^  Probably  the  stone  of  acquittal,  according  to  Greek  custom.     A  man  on 
acquittal  was  called  6  riKjjo-a?. — Tr. 

"  A  Gnostic  word. — Tr. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  223 

I  do  not  lay  any  burden  on  you. 
Only,  keep  what  you  have  till  I  come. 

'  And  he  that  is  victor  and  perseveres  in  my  vyorks  to  the 

end — ' 
I  shall  give  him  authority  over  the  nations. 
And  he  will  shepherd  them  with  an  iron  staff,  as  earthen 

vessels  are  shattered, 
As  I  also  have  received  from  my  Father; 
And  I  shall  give  him  the  Morning  Star. 
Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches.' 

5 
"Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis: 
'  These  things  says  he  that  has  the  seven  Spirits  of  God 

and  the  seven  stars : 

I  know  your  works. 

That  you  are  in  name  alive  but  [really]  are  dead. 

Become  watchful,  and  make  strong  what  remains. 

Which  is  on  the  point  of  perishing ; 

For  I  have  not  found  your  works  completed  before  God. 

Remember  then  how  you  have  received  and  heard. 

And  obey  and  turn  again. 

Unless  you  watch,  then,  I  shall  come  as  a  thief 

And  you  will  by  no  means  know  at  what  hour  I  shall 

come  to  you. 
Yet  you  have  a  few  names  in  Sardis  that  did  not  defile 

their  garments, 
And  they  will  walk  with  me  in  white,  because  they  are 

worthy. 

'  He  that  is  victor  will  likewise  be  clothed  in  white  gar- 
ments, 

And  I  shall  by  no  means  blot  out  his  name  from  the  book 
of  life. 


224  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  I  shall  acknowledge  his  name  before  my  Father  and 

before  his  angels. 
Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches.' 


"  Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia : 

'  These  things  says  the  Holy,  the  True, 
He  that  has  the  key  of  David, 
He  that  opens  and  no*  one  shuts. 
And  shuts  and  no  one  opens: 

I  know  your  works 

(See,  I  have  set  a  door  opened  before  you,  which  no  one 

can  close,) 
Because  you  have  a  little  strength  and  obeyed  my  word 

and  did  not  deny  my  Name. 
Lo,  I  give  those  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan  who  call 

themselves  Jews  yet  are  not,  but  lie — 
Lo,  I  shall  cause  them  to  come  and  do  homage  before 

your  feet, 
And  know  that  I  loved  you. 

Because  you  kept  in  mind  the  account  of  my  endurance, 
I  also  shall  keep  you  from  the  hour  of  testing 
That  is  about  to  come  upon  the  whole  world  to  test  those 

that  dwell  on  the  earth. 
I  am  coming  quickly  ; 
Hold  fast  what  you  have,  that  no  one  take  your  crown. 

'  He  that  is  victor — I  shall  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  temple 

of  my  God, 
And  he  will  by  no  means  go  out  again ; 
And  I  shall  write  upon  him  the  name  of  my  God, 
And  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God,  the  New  Jerusalem, 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION  :   APOCALYPSE  225 

Which  comes  down  out  of  heaven  from  my  God, 
And  my  new  Name. 

Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 
churches.' 

7 

"  Write  also  to  the  Angel  of  the  church  in  Laodicea : 

'  These  things  says  the  Amen, 

The  Faithful  and  True  Witness, 

The  Beginning  of  the  Creation  of  God : 

I  know  your  works, 

That  you  are  neither  cold  nor  hot — 

Would  that  you  were  cold  or  hot ! 

So,  because  you  are  lukewarm,  and  neither  hot  nor  cold, 

I  am  about  to  vomit  you  forth  from  my  mouth. 

For   you   are    saying,   "  I   am   rich,   and   have   become 

wealthy,  and  have  need  of  nothing," 
And  do  not  know  that  you  are  wretched  and  pitiable  and 

beggared  and  blind  and  naked. 
I  counsel  you  to  buy  of  me  gold  refined  by  fire. 
That  you  may  become  rich ; 
And  white  garments  to  clothe  yourself. 
So  that  the  shame  of  your  nakedness  may  not  be  made 

evident ; 
And  eye-salve  to  anoint  your  eyes, 
In  order  that  you  may  see. 
As  many  as  I  love  I  rebuke  and  chastise; 
Be  zealous,  therefore,  and  turn  about. 
See,  I  am  standing  at  the  door  and  knocking ; 
If  any  one  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door, 
I  shall  come  in  to  him  and  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me. 

*  He  that  is  victor — I  shall  grant  him  to  sit  with  me  in 
my  throne, 
p 


226  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

As  I  also  have  conquered  and  sat  down  with  my  Father 

in  his  throne. 
Let  him  that  has  an  ear  hear  what  the  Spirit  says  to  the 

churches.' " 

II 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  SEALS 

After  this  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  door  opened  in  heaven, 
and  the  voice  (the  first  voice,  as  of  a  trumpet,  that  I 
heard  talking  with  me)  saying, 

"  Come  up  here,  and  I  will  show  you  what  must  happen 
hereafter." 

Immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit, 

And  lo,  a  throne  was  set  in  the  heaven. 

And  upon  the  throne  one  sitting; 

And  he  that  sat  was  in  appearance  like  a  jasper-stone  and 
a  sardius; 

And  there  was  a  rainbow  encircling  the  throne,  in  appear- 
ance like  an  emerald. 

And  encircling  the  throne  were  twenty-four  thrones, 

And  upon  the  thrones  twenty-four  elders  sitting, 

Clothed  in  white  garments,  and  upon  their  heads  golden 
crowns. 

And  out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings  and  voices 
and  thunders. 

And  seven  lamps  of  fire  were  burning  before  the  throne, 

Which  are  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God. 

And  before  the  throne  was  a  transparent  sea,  like  crystal. 

And  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  and  encircling  the  throne 
were  four  Living  Creatures, 

Full  of  eyes,  before  and  behind. 

And  the  first  Living  Creature  is  like  a  lion. 

And  the  second  like  a  bull. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  22/ 

And  the  third  had  the  face  of  a  man, 

And  the  fourth  was  hke  an  eagle  flying. 

And  the  four  Living  Creatures,  each  having  seven  wings, 

are  full  of  eyes,  within  and  without. 
And  they  rest  not,  day  or  night,  saying, 

"  Holy,  Holy,  Holy, 

Lord  God,  the  Ruler  of  all, 

Who  was  and  who  is  and  who  is  coming." 

And  whenever  the  Living  Creatures  give  glory  and  honor 

and  thanksgiving  to  him  that  sits  on  the  throne, 
To  him  that  lives  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages. 
The  twenty-four  elders  fall  before  him  that  sits  on  the 

throne 
And  do  homage  to  him  that  lives  to  the  ages  of  the  ages. 
And  cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne,  saying, 

"  Worthy  art  thou,  our  Lord  and  God, 

To  receive  glory  and  honor  and  power ; 

Since  thou  didst  create  all  things. 

And  because  of  thy  will  they  were  and  were  created." 

And  I  saw  in  the  right  hand  of  him  that  sat  on  the 
throne  a  roll  written  inside  and  out,  sealed  up  with  seven 
seals.  And  I  saw  a  strong  angel  proclaiming  with  a 
great  voice, 

"  Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  roll  and  break  its  seals  ?  " 

And  no  one  in  heaven  or  on  earth  or  under  the  earth 
was  able  to  open  the  roll  or  look  in  it.  And  I  wept  much 
because  no  one  was  found  worthy  to  open  the  roll  or  look 
in  it.    And  one  of  the  elders  said  to  me, 

"  Do  not  weep;  see,  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the 
Root  of  David,  has  prevailed  to  open  the  roll  and  its 
seven  seals." 


228  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  I  saw  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  and  the  four 
Living  Creatures,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  elders,  a 
Lamb  standing,  as  if  slain,  having  seven  horns  and  seven 
eyes  (which  are  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God,  sent  forth  into 
all  the  earth).  And  he  came  and  took  the  roll  from  the 
right  hand  of  him  that  sat  on  the  throne.  And  when  he 
took  the  roll,  the  four  Living  Creatures  and  the  twenty- 
four  elders  fell  before  the  Lamb,  each  having  a  harp  and 
golden  bowls  filled  with  incense  (which  are  the  prayers 
of  the  saints),  and  they  sing  a  new  song,  saying, 

"  Worthy  art  thou  to  take  the  roll 

And  to  open  its  seals ; 

Because  thou  wast  slain 

And  didst  purchase  for  God  with  thy  blood 

Out  of  every  tribe  and  tongue  and  people  and  nation, 

And  made  them  a  kingdom  and  priests  to  our  God, 

And  they  are  reigning  upon  the  earth." 

And  I  looked  and  heard  a  voice  of  many  angels  encircling 
the  throne,  and  of  the  Living  Creatures  and  the  elders 
(and  their  number  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thoucand 
and  thousands  of  thousands),  saying  in  a  great  voice, 

"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain 

To  receive  power  and  wealth  and  wisdom  and  strength 

And  honor  and  glory  and  blessing." 

And  I  heard  every  created  thing  that  is  in  heaven  or 
on  earth  or  underneath  the  earth  or  on  the  sea,  and  all 
things  in  them,  saying, 

"  To  him  that  sits  on  the  throne 
And  to  the  Lamb, 
Be  blessing  and  honor 
And  glory  and  power, 
Unto  the  ages  of  the  ages." 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  229 

And  the  four  Living  Creatures  kept  saying  "  Amen." 
And  the  twenty-four  elders  fell  and  did  homage. 


And  I  looked  when  the  Lamb  opened  one  of  the  seven 
seals,  and  I  heard  one  of  the  four  Living  Creatures  saying 
like  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  Come." 

And  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  white  horse,  and  he  that  sat 
on  him  had  a  bow,  and  a  crown  was  given  him,  and 
he  came  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer. 


And  when  he  opened  the  second  seal,  I  heard  the  second 
Living  Creature  say,  "  Come." 

And  another  horse  came  forth,  red,  and  to  him  that 
sat  on  him  was  given  power  to  take  peace  from  the  earth, 
so  that  men  should  slay  each  other,  and  a  great  sword 
was  given  him. 


And  when  he  opened  the  third  seal,  I  heard  the  third 
Living  Creature  say,  "  Come." 

And  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  black  horse,  and  he  that  sat 
on  it  had  a  balance  in  his  hand.  And  I  heard  what 
seemed  like  a  voice  in  the  midst  of  the  four  Living  Crea- 
tures saying, 

"  A  quart  of  wheat  for  a  shilling, 

And  three  quarts  of  barley  for  a  shilling. 

And  do  not  hurt  the  oil  and  wine." 

4 
And  when  he  had  opened  the  fourth  seal,  I  heard  the 
voice  of  the  fourth  Living  Creature  saying,  "  Come." 


230  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  gray  horse,  and  he  that  sat  on 
him  was  named  Death,  and  Hades  followed  with  him. 
And  authority  was  given  him  over  a  fourth  part  of  the 
earth,  to  slay  with  the  sword  and  famine  and  death,  even 
by  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth. 

5 
And  when  he  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  beneath  the 
altar  the  souls  of  those  who  had  been  slain  because  of 
the  word  of  God  and  the  testimony  that  they  had  given. 
And  they  cried  out  with  a  great  voice,  saying, 

"  Till  when,  O  Master,  holy  and  true, 
Wilt  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood 
Upon  all  that  are  living  on  the  earth?  " 

And  a  white  robe  was  given  to  each  of  them,  and  they 
were  told  to  wait  a  short  time,  until  the  number  of  their 
fellow  slaves  and  brothers,  who  were  also  about  to  be 
killed  Hke  themselves,  should  be  complete. 


And  I  looked  when  he  opened  the  sixth  seal. 

And  there  was  a  great  earthquake, 

And  the  sun  became  black,  like  sackcloth  of  hair. 

And  the  full  moon  became  like  blood. 

And  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  to  earth. 

Like  a  fig  tree  casting  its  unripe  figs  when  shaken  by  a 

great  wind. 
And  the  heaven  was  opened,  like  a  scroll  rolled  up, 
And  every  mountain  and  island  was  removed  from  its 

place. 

And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men  and  the 
captains  and  the  rich  and  the  strong,  and  every  slave 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  23I 

and  freeman,  hid  themselves  in  the  caves  and  rocks  of 
the  mountains.  And  they  say  to  the  rocks  and  the  moun- 
tains, 

"  Fall  upon  us,  and  hide  us 

From  the  face  of  him  that  sits  on  the  throne. 

And  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb ; 

For  the  great  Day  of  their  Wrath  has  come. 

And  who  is  able  to  stand  ?  " 

After  this,  I  saw  four  angels  standing  on  the  four 
corners  of  the  earth,  holding  the  four  winds  of  the 
earth,  in  order  that  no  wind  should  blow  on  the  earth  or 
on  the  sea  or  on  any  tree. 

And  I  saw  another  angel  coming  up  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  having  a  seal  of  the  living  God.  And  he  cried 
with  a  great  voice  to  the  four  angels  to  whom  power 
was  given  to  harm  the  earth  and  sea,  saying,  "  Do  not 
harm  the  earth  nor  the  sea  nor  the  trees,  until  we  have 
sealed  the  slaves  of  God  upon  their  foreheads." 

And  I  heard  the  number  of  the  sealed :  a  hundred  and 
forty-four  thousand  M'ere  sealed,  from  every  tribe  of 
sons  of  Israel : 

Sealed  from,  the  tribe  of  Judah,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Gad,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Asher,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Levi,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  twelve  thousand. 
Sealed  from  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  twelve  thousand. 


232  THE    JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

After  these  things  I  looked. 

And  lo,  a  great  multitude,  whom  no  one  could  count. 
Out  of  every  nation  and  tribe  and  people  and  tongue, 
Standing  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
Clothed  in  white  robes,  and  palms  in  tlieir  hands. 
And  they  cry  with  a  great  voice,  saying, 

"  Salvation  to  our  God,  who  sits  on  the  throne, 
And  to  the  Lamb." 

And  all  the  angels  stood  encircling  the  throne  and  the 
elders  and  the  four  Living  Creatures;  and  they  fell  be- 
fore the  throne  upon  their  faces  and  did  homage  to 
God,  saying, 

"  Amen :  blessing  and  glory  and  wisdom 

And  thanksgiving  and  honor  and  power  and  strength 

Be  to  our  God, 

Unto  the  ages  of  the  ages.  Amen." 

And  one  of  the  elders  spoke  to  me,  saying,  "  Who  are 
these  clothed  in  white  robes,  and  whence  have  they 
come  ?  "  And  I  said  to  him,  "  Sir,  you  know."  And  he 
said, 

"  These  are  they  who  have  come  out  of  the  Great  Per- 
secution ; 

And  they  washed  their  robes 

And  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

Therefore  they  are  before  the  throne  of  God, 

And  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple ; 

And  he  that  sits  on  the  throne  will  spread  his  tent  over 
them. 

They  hunger  no  more, 

Nor  thirst  any  more, 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION  :   APOCALYPSE  22iZ 

Nor  does  the  sun  fall  on  them, 

Nor  any  heat; 

Because  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of*  the  throne  will 

shepherd  them, 
And  will  lead  them  to  fountains  of  waters  of  life, 
And  God  will  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their  eyes." 

7 

And  when  he  opened  the  seventh  seal,  silence  reigned 
in  heaven  about  half  an  hour.' 

Ill 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  TRUMPETS 

And  I  saw  the  seven  angels  that  stand  before  God, 
and  seven  trumpets  were  given  them. 

And  another  angel  came  and  stood  before  the  altar, 
having  a  golden  censer.  And  much  incense  was  given 
him,  to  mingle  with  the  prayers  of  all  the  saints  upon  the 
golden  altar  before  the  throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the 
incense  went  up  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  from  the 
hand  of  the  angel  before  God.  And  the  angel  took  the 
censer  and  filled  it  from  the  fire  of  the  altar  and  cast  it 
on  the  earth,  and  thunders  and  voices  and  lightnings 
and  an  earthquake  followed.  And  the  seven  angels  that 
had  the  seven  trumpets  made  themselves  ready  to  blow 
their  trumpets. 


And  the  first  blew  his  trumpet. 

And  there  followed  hail  and  fire  mingled  with  blood. 

And  it  fell  on  the  earth. 

^  According  to  Fouard,  this  means  "  that  a  silence,  an  unspeakable  peace, 
shall  succeed  the  world's  troubles." — Tr. 


234  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  a  third  part  of  the  earth  was  burned  up, 
And  a  third  of  the  trees  was  burned  up, 
And  all  green  grass  was  burned  up. 


And  the  second  angel  blew  his  trumpet, 

And  something  like  a  great  volcano  was  cast  into  the 

sea; 
And  a  third  of  the  sea  became  blood, 
And  a  third  of  the  living  creatures  in  the  sea  died. 
And  a  third  of  the  vessels  were  destroyed. 

3 

And  the  third  angel  blew  his  trumpet, 

And  a  great  star,  burning  like  a  torch,  fell  from  heaven 

And  it  fell  on  a  third  of  the  rivers  and  on  the  fountains 

of  waters. 
And  the  name  of  the  star  is  Wormwood,* 
And  a  third  of  the  waters  became  wormwood, 
And  many  men  died  in  consequence  of  the  waters,  for 

they  were  embittered. 

4 

And  the  fourth  angel  blew  his  trumpet. 

And  a  third  of  the  sun  was  smitten, 

And  a  third  of  the  moon  and  a  third  of  the  stars, 

In  order  that  a  third  of  them  might  be  darkened 

And  the  day  might  not  be  lighted  for  a  third  of  it, 

And  the  night  likewise. 

And  I  looked,  and  I  heard  a  single  eagle  flying  in  mid- 
heaven,  saying  with  a  loud  voice, 

*  Worrrfwood  is  used  by  the  prophets  as  a  symbol  of  divine  chastisements; 
Jer.  9  :   15;  Amos  s  :  7. — Tr. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  235 

"  Woe,  Woe,  Woe, 
To  those  that  dwell  on  the  earth, 
In  consequence  of  the  remaining  voices  of  the  trumpet, 
Of    the   three   angels    who   are   about   to   blow   their 
trumpets." 


And  the  fifth  angel  blew  his  trumpet. 

And  I  saw  a  star  fallen  out  of  heaven  upon  the  earth ; 

And  the  key  of  the  pit  of  the  abyss  was  given  him. 

And  he  opened  the  pit  of  the  abyss. 

And  a  smoke  went  up  from  the  pit  like  the  smoke  of  a 

great  furnace  ; 
And  the  sun  and  air  were  darkened  by  the  smoke  of  the 

pit. 
And  locusts  came  out  of  the  smoke  upon  the  earth, 
And  power  like  that  of  scorpions  was  given  them  on 

earth. 
Yet  they  were  commanded  not  to  injure  the  grass  of  the 

earth, 
Nor  any  green  thing,  nor  any  tree. 
But  only  such  men  as  did  not  have  God's  seal  on  their 

foreheads. 
And  they  were  given  power,  not  to  kill  them,  but  to  tor- 
ture them  for  five  months. 
And  their  torture  was  like  the  torture  of  a  scorpion  when 

it  stings  a  man. 
And  in  those  days  men  will  seek  death  and  will  by  no 

means  find  it. 
And  will  long  to  die,  yet  death  will  flee  from  them. 
And  the  shapes  of  the  locusts  were  like  horses  prepared 

for  battle, 
And  they  had  on  their  heads  something  like  crowns  of 

gold, 
And  their  faces  were  like  men's  faces. 


236  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  they  had  hair  like  women's  hair, 

And  their  teeth  were  hke  hons'. 

And  they  had  breastplates  like  iron  breastplates, 

And  the  sound  of  their  wings  was  like  the  sound  of 

chariots  drawn  by  many  horses,  rushing  into  battle. 
And  they  have  tails  like  scorpions,  and  stings. 
And  their  power  to  torture  men  for  five  months  is  in  their 

tails. 
They  have  over  them  as  king  the  angel  of  the  abyss ; 
His  name  in  Hebrew  is  Abaddon,^ 
And  in  Greek  he  is  called  Apollyon. 

The  first  Woe  has  passed ; 

Lo,  there  are  yet  two  Woes  to  follow ! 


And  the  sixth  angel  blew  his  trumpet,  and  I  heard  a 
single  voice  from  the  horns  of  the  altar  of  gold  that  is 
before  God,  saying  to  the  sixth  angel,  who  had  the 
trumpet, 

"  Set  free  the  four  angels  who  are  bound  by  the  great 
river  Euphrates."  ^° 

And  the  four  angels,  who  had  been  made  ready  for  the 
hour  and  day  and  month  and  year,  were  set  free  to  slay 
a  third  of  mankind.  And  the  number  of  bands  of  horse- 
men was  twice  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand — I  heard 
their  number. 

And  thus  I  saw  the  horses  in  the  vision,  and  those  sitting 

on  them: 
They  had  fiery  breastplates,  dark-red  and  sulphurous; 
And  the  heads  of  the  horses  were  like  the  heads  of  lions, 

B  Abaddon  in  Hebrew  tradition  (Talmud)  is  the  chief  of  seven  destroying 
angels. — Tr. 

w  As  who  should  say,  "  at  the  end  of  the  world,"  restrained  there  till  the 
hour  of  God's  wrath  should  come. — Tr. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  237 

And  fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone  were  going  out  of  their 

mouth. 
By  these  three  plagues  a  third  of  mankind  were  killed, 
In  consequence  of  the  fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone  that 

went  out  of  their  mouths. 
For  the  power  of  the  horses  is  in  their  mouths  and  in  their 

tails ; 
For  their  tails  were  like  serpents,  and  with  them  they  do 

injury. 

And  the  rest  of  mankind,  who  were  not  slain  by  these 
plagues,  did  not  turn  away  from  the  works  of  their  hands, 
so  as  not  to  worship  demons,  and  the  idols  of  gold  and 
silver  and  bronze  and  stone  and  wood,  that  can  neither 
see  nor  hear  nor  walk  about.  And  they  did  not  turn 
away  from  their  murders  nor  their  sorceries  nor  their 
licentiousness  nor  their  thefts. 

And   I   saw  another  strong   angel  coming  down   from 

heaven, 
Clothed  in  a  cloud,  and  the  rainbow  on  his  head, 
And  his  face  like  the  sun  and  his  legs  like  pillars  of  fire. 
And  he  had  in  his  hand  a  small  roll  opened. 
And  he  set  his  right  foot  on  the  sea  and  his  left  upon 

the  land. 
And  cried  with  a  great  voice,  as  a  lion  roars. 
And  when  he  cried  the  seven  thunders  uttered  their  own 

voices. 
And  when  the  seven  thunders  spoke  I  was  about  to  write ; 
And  I  heard  a  voice  out  of  heaven  saying, 

"  Seal  up  the  things  that  the  seven  thunders  spoke, 
And  do  not  write  them." 

And  the  angel  whom  I  saw  standing  on  the  sea  and  earth, 
Lifted  his  right  hand  to  heaven  and  swore 


238  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

By  him  who  lives  to  the  ages  of  the  ages, 

Who  created  the  heaven  and  all  things  in  it, 

And  the  land  and  all  that  is  in  it, 

And  the  sea  and  all  that  is  in  it, 

That  there  will  be  no  more  delay. 

But  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when 

he  is  about  to  sound. 
The  hidden  purpose  of  God  will  be  accomplished, 
As  he  gave  glad  tidings  to  his  slaves,  the  prophets. 

And  the  voice  that  I  heard  out  of  heaven  again  spoke 
to  me  and  said,  "  Come  and  take  the  roll  that  is  opened 
in  the  hand  of  the  angel  who  stands  on  the  sea  and 
land."  And  I  went  away  to  the  angel  asking  him  to 
give  me  the  small  roll.    And  he  says  to  me, 

"  Take  it  and  eat  it ; 

It  will  make  your  soul  bitter, 

But  in  your  mouth  it  will  be  sweet  as  honey." 

And  I  took  the  little  roll  from  the  hand  of  the  angel  and 
ate  it  up;  and  it  was  sweet  as  honey  in  my  mouth,  yet 
when  I  had  eaten  it  my  soul  was  embittered.  And  they 
say  to  me, 

"  You  must  speak  again  as  a  prophet. 
Concerning  many  people  and  nations  and  tongues  and 
kings." 

And  a  rod  was  given  me,  like  a  staff,  and  some  one  said, 
"  Come  and  measure  the  temple  of  God  and  the  altar 
and  those  that  worship  there.  And  leave  out  the  court 
that  is  outside  the  temple,  and  do  not  measure  it,  because 
it  was  given  to  the  nations  and  they  will  tread  down  the 
holy  city  forty-two  months.  And  I  will  give  to  my  two 
witnesses,  and  they  will  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  days,  clothed  in  sackcloth." 


A  NEW  TRANSLATION  :  APOCALYPSE        239 

These  two  witnesses  are  symbolized  by  the  two  oUve 
trees  and  the  two  lampstands  that  stand  before  the  Lord 
of  the  earth.  And  if  any  one  wishes  to  injure  them,  fire 
goes  forth  out  of  their  mouth  and  devours  their  enemies ; 
and  if  any  one  shall  wish  to  injure  them  it  is  fitting  that 
he  should  be  slain  thus.  These  have  authority  to  shut 
heaven,  so  that  it  may  not  rain  during  the  days  of  their 
prophecy;  and  they  have  authority  over  the  waters,  to 
turn  them  into  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  every 
sort  of  plague,  as  often  as  they  may  wish. 

And  when  they  have  finished  their  testimony,  the 
Beast  that  comes  up  from  the  abyss  will  make  war  upon 
them,  and  will  conquer  them  and  will  kill  them.  And 
their  corpses  will  be  upon  the  streets  of  the  Great  City.^^ 
And  some  of  the  people  and  tribes  and  tongues  and 
nations  look  on  their  corpses  three  days  and  a  half,  and 
do  not  let  their  corpses  be  put  in  a  tomb.  And  they  that 
dwell  on  the  earth  rejoice  over  them  and  make  merry 
and  send  gifts  to  one  another,  because  these  two  prophets 
tortured  those  that  dwell  on  the  earth.  And  after  the 
three  days  and  a  half  a  breath  of  life  from  God  came 
into  them  and  they  stood  on  their  feet,  and  great  fear  fell 
upon  those  who  beheld  them.  And  in  that  hour  there 
was  a  great  earthquake,  and  a  tenth  of  the  city  fell.  And 
seven  thousand  people  were  killed  in  that  earthquake ; 
and  the  rest  became  afraid,  and  gave  glory  to  the  God  of 
heaven. 

The  second  Woe  has  passed ; 

Lo,  the  third  Woe  is  coming  quickly. 

And  the  seventh  angel  blew  his  trumpet,  and  great 
voices  followed  in  heaven,  saying, 

^  Whose  spiritual  name  is  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where  their  Lord  was  also 
crucified. 


i^d  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

"  The  kingdom  of  the  world  has  become 
The  kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  his  Anointed, 
And  he  will  reign  to  the  ages  of  the  ages." 

And  the  twenty- four  elders,  who  sit  on  their  thrones 
before  God,  fell  on  their  faces  and  did  homage  to  God, 

saying, 

"  We  give  thanks  to  thee,  Lord  God,  Ruler  of  all. 

Who  art  and  who  wast, 

Because  thou  hast  taken  thy  great  power  and  didst 

reign. 
And  the  nations  were  enraged, 
And  thy  wrath  came. 
And  the  time  of  the  dead  to  be  judged, 
And  to  give  the  reward  to  thy  slaves, 
To  the  prophets  and  the  saints  and  those  who  fear  thy 

name. 
The  small  and  the  great ; 
And  to  destroy  those  that  destroy  the  earth." 

IV 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  KINGDOM 


And  God's  temple  (the  one  in  heaven)  was  opened. 

And  the  ark  of  his  covenant  was  seen  in  heaven ; 

And  lightnings  followed,  and  voices  and  thunders 

And  an  earthquake  and  a  great  hail-storm. 

And  a  great  sign  was  seen  in  heaven, 

AAVoman  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  under  her 

feet. 
And  a  crown  of  twelve  stars  on  her  head. 
And  she  was  pregnant,  and  cried  out  in  the  agony  of 

childbirth. 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  24I 

And  another  sign  was  seen  in  heaven ; 

And  lo,  a  great  fiery  Dragon,  with  seven  heads  and  ten 

horns, 
And  seven  diadems  upon  the  heads. 
And  his  tail  drags  a  third  of  the  stars  of  heaven,  and 

casts  them  on  the  earth. 
And  the  Dragon  stood  before  the  Woman  as  she  was 

about  to  bring  forth. 
In  order  that  when  she  brought  forth  he  might  devour 

her  child. 
And  she  brought  forth  a  son,  a  man-child, 
Who  is  about  to  shepherd  the  nations  with  a  rod  of  iron ; 
And  her  child  was  caught  uj)  to  God  and  to  his  throne. 
But  the  Woman  fled  into  the  wilderness, 
Where  she  had  a  place  prepared  by  God, 
That  they  may  nourish  her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred 

and  sixty  days. 


And  a  battle  took  place  in  heaven,  Michael  and  his 
angels  fighting  with  the  Dragon ;  and  the  Dragon  and  his 
angels  fought,  but  he  did  not  conquer,  nor  was  a  place 
longer  found  for  them  in  heaven.  And  the  great  Dragon 
was  cast  down — the  Old  Serpent,  who  is  called  Devil 
and  Satan,  who  deceives  the  whole  habitable  earth;  he 
was  cast  down  on  the  earth,  and  his  angels  were  cast 
down  along  with  him.  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  in 
heaven  saying, 

"  Now  has  become  the  salvation 
And  the  power  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God, 
And  the  authority  of  his  Anointed ; 
For  the  accuser  of  our  brothers  is  cast  down — 
And  they  conquered  him  because  of  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb, 

Q 


242  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  because  of  the  word  of  their  testimony; 
And  they  loved  not  their  life,  even  to  death. 

"  Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  they  that  dwell  in 

them ; 
Woe  to  the  earth  and  the  sea ! 

For  the  Devil  has  gone  down  to  you  in  great  wrath, 
Knowing  that  he  has  [only]  a  little  time." 

3 

And  when  the  Dragon  saw  that  he  was  cast  down 
to  earth,  he  persectitecrThe  Woman  that  brought  forth 
the  man-child.  And  the  two  wings  of  the  great  eagle 
were  given  to  the  Woman  that  she  might  fly  into  the 
wilderness  to  her  place,  where  she  is  nourished  from  the 
Serpent's  face,  for  a  time  and  times  and  half  a  time. 
And  the  Serpent  poured  water  from  his  mouth  like  a  river 
after  the  Woman,  that  she  might  be  swept  away  by 
the  river.  And  the  earth  gave  aid  to  the  Woman;  and 
the  earth  opened  its  mouth  and  drank  up  the  river  that 
the  Dragon  poured  out  of  his  mouth.  And  the  Dragon 
was  angry  at  the  Woman,  and  went  away  to  make  war 
on  the  rest  of  her  children — those  who  keep  the  command- 
ments of  God  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus. 

4 
And  he  stood  on  the  sand  of  the  sea;  and  I  saw  a 
Beast  coming  up  out  of  the  sea,  with  ten  horns  and 
seven  heads,  and  seven  diadems  on  his  heads.  And  the 
Beast  that  I  saw  was  like  a  leopard,  but  his  feet  were 
like  a  bear's  and  his  mouth  was  like  a  lion's  mouth ;  and 
the  Dragon  gave  him  his  power  and  his  throne  and  great 
authority.  And  [I  saw]  one  of  his  heads,  [and  it  ap- 
peared]  as  if  smitten  unto  death;  and  its  death-stroke 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalypse  243 

was  healed,  and  the  whole  world  wondered  over  the 
Beast.  And  they  did  homage  to  the  Dragon,  because  he 
gave  authority  to  the  Beast,  saying, 

"  Who  is  like  the  Beast, 

And  who  can  make  war  on  him  ?  " 

And  a  mouth  was  given  him  that  spoke  great  things  and 
blasphemies.  And  authority  was  given  him  to  work 
forty-two  months.  And  he  opened  his  mouth  in  blas- 
phemies against  God,  to  blaspheme  his  name  and  his 
Tabernacle,  those  who  tabernacle  in  heaven.  And  [au- 
thority] was  given  him  to  make  war  on  the  saints  and 
conquer  them;  and  authority  was  given  him  over  every 
tribe  and  people  and  tongue  and  nation.  And  all  that 
dwell  on  the  earth  will  do  homage  to  him — [every  one] 
whose  name  was  not  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  of  the 
Lamb  slain  before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

If  any  one  has  an  ear,  let  him  hear. 

If  any  one  is  for  captivity,  to  captivity  he  goes ; 

If  any  one  shall  kill  with  the  sword,  with  the  sword  he 

must  be  killed. 
Here  is  the  endurance  and  the  trust  of  the  saints. 

5 

And  I  saw  another  Beast  coming  up  out  of  the  earth. 

And  he  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb 

But  he  was  a  destroyer  like  the  Dragon. 

And  he  exercises  all  the  authority  of  the  first  Beast 
before  his  face,  and  makes  the  earth  and  those  dwelling 
in  it  pay  homage  to  the  first  Beast,  whose  death-stroke 
was  healed.  And  he  does  great  signs,  so  that  he  even 
makes  fire  come  down  from  heaven  in  the  sight  of  men. 


244  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  he  deceives  those  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  because 
of  the  signs  that  he  is  given  power  to  do  before  the 
Beast,  telling  those  that  dwell  on  the  earth  to  make  an 
image  to  the  Beast  that  had  the  sword-stroke,  yet  lived. 
And  power  was  given  him  to  give  breath  to  the  Beast's 
image,  that  the  Beast's  image  should  both  talk  and  should 
cause  as  many  as  did  not  pay  homage  to  the  image  and 
the  Beast  to  be  killed.  And  all,  the  small  and  the  great, 
the  rich  and  the  beggared,  the  freemen  and  the  slaves, 
he  causes  to  be  branded  on  their  right  hands,  or  on 
their  foreheads,  so  that  no  one  should  buy  or  sell  unless 
he  has  the  brand,  the  Beast's  name  or  the  number  [in- 
dicated by  the  letters]  of  his  name. 

Here  is  wisdom. 

Let  him  that  has  an  understanding  reckon  the 

Beast's  number. 
For  it  is  a  man's  number, 
And  its  number  is  666. 


And  I  looked,  and  lo,  the  Lamb  standing  on  the  mount 
Zion,  and  with  him  a  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand 
that  had  his  name  and  his  Father's  name  written  on 
their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  a  sound  out  of  heaven  like 
the  sound  of  many  waters  and  like  the  sound  of  many 
thunders.  And  the  sound  that  I  heard  [was]  like  harpers 
harping  with  their  harps.  And  they  sing  [what  seems] 
like  a  new  song  before  the  throne  and  before  the  four 
Living  Creatures  and  the  elders;  and  no  one  can  learn 
the  song,  except  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand, 
who  had  been  purchased  from  the  earth. 

These  are  they  that  have  not  defiled  themselves  with 
women,  for  they  are  virgins.  These  are  they  that  follow 
the  Lamb,  wheresoever  he  goes.    These  were  purchased 


A  NEW  TRANSLATION  :  APOCALYPSE        245 

from  men,  as  first-fruits  to  God  and  to  the  Lamb.    And 
no  lie  was  found  in  their  mouth — they  are  spotless. 

And  I  saw  another  angel  flying  in  mid-heaven,  who 
had  eternal  glad  tidings  to  proclaim  to  those  that  dwell  on 
the  earth,  and  to  every  nation  and  tribe  and  tongue  and 
people,  saying  in  a  great  voice, 

*'  Fear  God  and  give  him  glory, 

For  the  hour  of  his  judgment  has  come. 

And  pay  homage  to  him  that  made  the  heaven, 

And  the  earth  and  sea  and  fountains  of  waters." 

Then  a  second  angel  followed,  saying, 

"  Fallen,  fallen  is  Babylon  the  Great, 
Who  of  the  wine  of  her  licentious  frenzy  has  made  all 
the  nations  drink." 

Then  a  third  angel  followed,  saying  in  a  great  voice, 

"  If  any  one  does  homage  to  the  Beast  and  his  image. 
And  receives  a  brand  on  his  forehead  or  in  his  hand, 
He  also  will  drink  of  the  wine  of  God's  wrath 
That  has  been  poured  unmixed  in  the  cup  of  his  wrath, 
And  will  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone 
Before  angels  and  saints  and  before  the  Lamb." 

And  the  smoke  of  their  torment  goes  up  for  ever  and 

ever. 
And  they  have  no  rest  day  or  night — 
Those  that  bow  down  to  the  Beast  and  his  image, 
Or  any  one  that  receives  the  brand  of  his  name. 
Here  is  the  endurance  of  the  saints, 
Who  keep  the  commandments  of  God  and  the  faith  of 

Jesus. 

And  I  heard  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying,  "  Write, 


246  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

'  Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord, 
From  henceforth,  Yea,  says  the  Spirit. 
That  they  may  rest  from  their  labors, 
For  their  works  follow  with  them.'  " 

7 

And  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  white  cloud 

And  one  that  sat  on  the  cloud  like  a  son  of  man, 

Having  on  his  head  a  golden  crown  and  in  his  hand  a 

sharp  sickle. 
And  another  angel  came  forth  out  of  the  temple 
Crying  with  a  great  voice  to  him  that  sat  on  the  cloud, 

"  Send  your  sickle  and  harvest, 
For  the  time  to  harvest  has  come, 
For  the  harvest  of  the  earth  is  ripe." 

And  he  that  sat  on  the  cloud  threw  his  sickle  on  the 

earth. 
And  the  earth  was  harvested. 

And  another  angel  came  forth  out  of  the  temple, 
And  he  also  had  a  sharp  sickle. 
And  another  angel  came   forth   from  the  altar, 
The  one  that  has  authority  over  the  fire. 
And  he  called  with  a  great  voice  to  the  angel  that  had 
the  sharp  sickle,  saying, 

"  Send  your  sharp  sickle 

And  gather  the  [clusters  of  the]  vine  of  the  earth, 

For  its  grapes  are  fully  ripe." 

And  the  angel  threw  his  sickle  on  the  earth 
And  gathered  the  clusters  of  the  vine  of  the  earth, 
And  threw  them  into  the  great  wine-press  of  God's 
wrath. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  247 

And  the  wine-press  was  trodden  outside  the  city, 
And  blood  came  forth  from  the  wine-press  up  to  the 

horses'  bridles, 
As  far  as  a  thousand  six  hundred  furlongs. 


THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  BOWLS 

And  I  saw  another  sign  in  heaven,  great  and  wonderful : 
seven  angels,  that  had  seven  plagues,  the  last,  because  in 
them  God's  wrath  was  accomplished. 

And  I  saw  [what  appeared]  like  a  crystal  sea  mingled 
with  fire,  and  those  who  were  victors  over  the  Beast  and 
the  image  and  the  number  of  his  name  were  standing  by 
the  crystal  sea,  having  harps  of  God.  And  they  sing  the 
song  of  Moses,  the  slave  of  God,  and  the  song  of  the 
Lamb,  saying, 

"  Great  and  wonderful  are  thy  works,  O  Lord  God, 

Ruler  of  all ; 
Righteous  and  true  are  thy  ways,  O  King  of  the  nations. 
Who  will  not  fear  thee,  O  Lord, 
And  glorify  thy  name? 
For  thou  only  art  holy ; 
For  all  the  nations  will  come  and  prostrate  themselves 

before  thee, 
Because  thy  righteous  acts  are  made  evident." 

And  after  these  things  I  saw,  and  the  temple  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  testimony  was  opened  in  heaven.  And 
the  seven  angels  came  forth  out  of  the  temple  (they  that 
have  the  seven  plagues)  clothed  in  clean  white  linen, 
and  girt  about  the  breasts  with  golden  girdles.  And  one 
of  the  four  Living  Creatures  gave  to  the  angels  seven 


248  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

golden  bowls  filled  with  the  wrath  of  God  who  lives  for 
age  after  age.  And  the  temple  was  filled  with  smoke 
from  the  glory  of  God  and  from  his  power;  and  no  one 
could  enter  into  the  temple  until  the  seven  plagues  of  the 
angels  were  accomplished.  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out 
of  the  temple  saying  to  the  seven  angels, 

"  Go,  and  pour  out  on  the  earth  the  seven  bowls  of 
God's  wrath." 

I 
And  the  first  went  and  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the 
earth,  and  a  foul  and  virulent  ulcer  fell  upon  the  men 
that  have  the  brand  of  the  Beast,  and  those  that  bow 
down  to  his  image. 

2 

And  the  second  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  sea,  and 
it  turned  to  blood,  as  of  a  dead  man,  and  every  living 
being  that  was  in  the  sea  died. 

3 

And  the  third  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  rivers  and 
fountains  of  waters,  and  they  turned  to  blood.  And  I 
heard  the  angel  of  the  waters  saying, 

"  Righteous  art  thou,  who  art,  and  who  wast,  the  Holy 

One, 
Because  thou  hast  inflicted  this  judgment ; 
For  they  have  poured  out  blood  of  saints  and  prophets, 
And  thou  hast  given  them  blood  to  drink. 
They  are  worthy." 

And  I  heard  one  saying  from  the  altar, 

"  Yea,  Lord  God,  Ruler  of  all, 

True  and  righteous  are  thy  judgments." 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  I    APOCALYPSE  249 

4 

And  the  fourth  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  sun, 

And  power  was  given  it  to  scorch  men  with  fire. 

And  men  were  scorched  with  a  great  scorching, 

And  they  blasphemed  the  name  of  God, 

Who  has  authority  over  these  plagues ; 

Yet  they  did  not  turn  about  and  give  him  honor. 

5 

And  the  fifth  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  throne  of 

the  Beast, 
And  his  kingdom  became  darkened. 
And  men  gnawed  their  tongues  for  pain, 
Yet  they  did  not  turn  from  their  deeds. 


And  the  sixth  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  great  river, 
the  Euphrates,  and  its  water  was  dried  up,  in  order  that 
the  way  of  the  kings  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  might  be 
made  ready.  And  I  saw  three  impure  spirits  like  frogs 
come  out  of  the  Dragon's  mouth  and  the  Beast's  mouth 
and  the  false  prophet's  mouth;  for  they  are  spirits  of 
demons,  working  signs,  that  go  forth  to  the  kings  of  the 
habitable  earth,  to  gather  them  for  the  battle  of  the  great 
day  of  God,  Ruler  of  all. 

Lo,  I  come  like  a  thief. 

Happy  he  that  watches  and  keeps  his  garments, 
That  he  may  not  walk  naked  while  [men]  gase  on  his 
shame}^ 

'^  One  is  half  inclined  for  once  to  agree  with  those  critics  who  blame  the 
"  redactor  ''  for  everything  they  cannot  explain.  This  poetic  fragment  is 
evidently  out  of  place,  since  it  is  a  violent  interruption  of  a  narrative  pas- 
sage, and  it  is  quite  uncertain  where  it  does  belong — possibly  among  the 
words  of  Jesus,  in  the  Epilogue.  But,  in  that  case,  how  did  it  ever  get 
here  ? — Tr. 


250  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  they  gathered  them  to  the  place  whose  Hebrew  name 
is  Har-Magedon. 

7 

And  the  seventh  poured  out  his  bowl  on  the  air,  and  a 
great  voice  came  out  of  the  temple,  from  the  throne,  say- 
ing, "  It  is  done."  And  lightnings  and  voices  and  thunders 
followed,  and  a  great  earthquake,  such  as  has  not  oc- 
curred since  man  was  on  the  earth,  so  great  an  earth- 
quake !  And  the  great  city  was  divided  into  three  parts, 
and  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell,  and  Babylon  the  Great 
was  remembered  before  God,  to  give  her  the  cup  of  the 
wine  of  the  fierceness  of  his  wrath;  and  every  island 
fled,  and  mountains  were  not  found ;  and  a  great  hail,  like 
a  talent  [in  weight]  comes  down  out  of  heaven  on  men. 
And  men  blasphemed  God  for  the  plague  of  hail,  because 
the  plague  of  it  is  exceedingly  great. 

And  one  of  the  seven  angels  that  had  the  seven  bowls 
came  and  spoke  to  me,  saying, 

"  Hither !  I  will  show  you  the  judgment  of  the  great 
Harlot  that  sits  on  many  waters,  with  whom  the  kings 
of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication,  and  those  that 
inhabit  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of 
her  harlotry." 

And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a  wilderness, 
and  I  saw  a  woman  sitting  on  a  scarlet  beast,  with  seven 
heads  and  ten  horns,  covered  with  blasphemous  names. 
And  the  woman  was  clothed  in  purple  and  scarlet,  and 
girt  with  gold  and  precious  stone  and  pearls,  and  had  a 
golden  cup  in  her  hand  filled  with  abominable  things 
and  the  impurities  of  her  harlotry.  And  a  name  was 
written  on  her  forehead — a  mystery — 

BABYLON  THE  GREAT, 

THE  MOTHER  OF  THE  HARLOTS 

AND  ABOMINABLE  THINGS  OF  THE  EARTH. 


A  NEW  translation:  apocalypse  251 

And  I  saw  the  woman,  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the 
saints  and  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus,  and  I  won- 
dered when  I  saw  her,  with  a  great  wonder.  And  the 
angel  said  to  me, 

"  Why  did  you  wonder?  I  will  show  you  the  mystery 
of  the  woman  and  of  the  beast  that  carries  her — the  one 
that  has  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  The  beast  that  you 
saw  was  and  is  not,  and  is  about  to  come  up  out  of  the 
abyss  and  go  to  destruction.  And  those  that  dwell  on 
the  earth  will  wonder — [those]  whose  names  are  not 
written  in  the  roll  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world — when  they  see  the  beast  that  he  was  and  is  not 
and  will  come. 

"  Here  is  the  mind  that  has  wisdom :  The  seven  heads 
are  seven  hills  on  which  the  woman  sits;  and  they  are 
seven  kings — five  have  fallen,  one  is,  the  other  has  not 
yet  come;  and  when  he  comes  he  must  remain  a  short 
time.  And  the  beast  that  was  and  is  not  is  himself  also 
an  eighth,  though  he  is  one  of  the  seven  and  goes  to 
destruction.  And  the  ten  horns  that  you  saw  are  ten 
kings,  who  have  not  yet  received  a  kingdom,  but  receive 
authority  as  kings  for  one  hour  along  with  the  beast. 
These  have  one  mind,  and  they  give  their  power  and 
authority  to  the  beast. 

"  These  will  make  war  on  the  Lamb, 

And  the  Lamb  will  conquer  them, 

Because  he  is  Lord  of  Lords 

And  King  of  Kings, 

And  those  with  him  are  called  and  chosen  and  faithful. 

"  The  waters  that  you  saw,"  he  says  to  me,  "  on  which 
the  Harlot  sits,  are  people  and  crowds  and  nations  and 
tongues.  And  the  ten  horns  that  you  saw  and  the  beast — 
these  will  hate  the  Harlot  and  will  make  her  deserted  and 


252  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

naked,  and  will  eat  her  flesh,  and  will  burn  her  up  with 
fire.  For  God  put  it  into  their  hearts  to  execute  his 
purpose,  even  to  execute  a  single  purpose,  and  to  give 
the  kingdom  to  the  beast,  until  God's  words  shall  be  ac- 
complished. And  the  woman  whom  you  saw  is  the 
great  city,  that  has  a  kingdom  over  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth." 

After  these  things  I  saw  another  angel  coming  down 
out  of  heaven,  having  great  authority ;  and  the  earth  was 
illumined  with  his  splendor.  And  he  cried  out  in  a 
mighty  voice,  saying, 

"  Fallen,  fallen  is  Babylon  the  Great, 

And  become  a  dwelling-place  of  demons. 

And  a  prison  of  every  foul  spirit, 

And  a  prison  of  every  foul  and  hateful  bird. 

Because  by  the  wine  of  her  licentious  frenzy  all  the 

nations  have  fallen, 
And  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication 

with  her, 
And  the  merchants  of  the  earth  have  become  rich  by 

the  power  of  her  luxury." 

And  I  heard  another  voice,  saying, 

"  Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  have  no  fellow- 
ship with  her  sins, 

And  that  ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues ; 

Because  her  sins  clave  together  to  the  very  heaven, 

And  God  has  remembered  her  iniquities. 

Recompense  her  as  she  recompensed  you, 

And  repay  her  in  double  measure  according  to  her 
deeds ; 

In  the  cup  that  she  mixed,  mix  a  double  portion  for 
her; 

By  as  much  as  she  glorified  herself  and  lived  in  luxury, 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  253 

By  SO  much  give  her  torment  and  mourning; 
For  in  her  heart  she  says,  '  A  queen  I  sit, 
And  am  no  widow,  and  shall  by  no  means  see  mourn- 
ing.' 
Therefore  in  a  single  day  her  plagues  will  come, 
Death  and  mourning  and  famine, 
And  she  will  be  burned  up  in  the  fire. 
Because  mighty  is  the  Lord  God  who  judged  her. 

"  And  weep  and  wail  with  her  shall  the  kings  of  the 

earth, 
They  that  committed  fornication  with  her  and  lived  in 

luxury, 
When  they  see  the  smoke  of  her  burning; 
Standing  afar  through  fear  of  her  torment,  saying, 

*Woe,  woe,  the  great  city, 

Babylon,  the  mighty  city. 

For  in  a  single  hour  thy  judgment  has  come! ' 

"  And  the  merchants  of  the  earth  weep  and  mourn  over 

her, 
Because  no  one  buys  their  merchandise  any  longer, 
Merchandise  of  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stone  and 

pearls, 
And  fine  linen  and  purple  and  silk  and  scarlet. 
And  all  citron- wood  and  vessels  of  ivory  and  of  rare 

wood  and  brass  and  iron  and  marble, 
And  cinnamon  and  amomon  and  odors  and  myrrh  and 

frankincense, 
And  wine  and  oil  and  fine  flour  and  wheat. 
And  cattle  and  sheep  and  horses  and  chariots. 
And  bodies  and  souls  of  men. 
And  the  ripe  fruit  of  thy  soul's  desire  departed  from 

thee. 


254  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  they  will  no  longer  find  them  at  all. 
The  dealers  in  these  things,  who  became  rich  from  her, 
Will  stand  afar  through  fear  of  her  torment,  weeping 
and  wailing,  saying, 

*  Woe,  woe,  the  great  city, 

She  that  was  clothed  in  fine  linen  and  purple  and 
scarlet, 

And  was  gilded   with  gold  and  precious   stone  and 
pearl. 

For  in  a  single  hour  so  great  riches  are  made  deso- 
late!'" 

And  every  ship's  captain,  and  every  one  that  sails  to 
any  place,  and  sailors  and  as  many  as  labor  on  the  sea, 
stooa  afar  and  cried  out  when  they  saw  the  smoke  of  her 
burning,  saying, 

"  What  city  is  like  the  great  city  ?  " 

And  they  threw  dust  on  their  heads  and  cried  out  weep- 
ing and  mourning,  saying, 

"  Woe,  woe,  the  great  city, 

In  which  all  that  have  the  ships  in  the  sea  became  rich 

by  her  costliness. 
For  in  a  single  hour  she  is  made  desolate !  " 

Rejoice  over  her,  O  heaven, 

And  ye  saints  and  prophets  and  apostles, 

For  God  has  judged  your  judgment  on  her. 

And  a  single  mighty  angel  took  a  stone  like  a  great 
millstone  and  threw  it  into  the  sea,  saying, 

"  Thus,  with  violence,  will  Babylon  the  great  city  be 

thrown  down, 
And  will  be  found  no  more  at  all. 


A  NEW  TRANSLATION  :  APOCALYPSE        255 

And  sound  of  harps  and  musicians  and  flute-players 

and  trumpeters  will  be  heard  in  thee  no  more  at  all. 
And  no  craftsman  of  whatever  craft  will  longer  be 

found  in  thee. 
And  sound  of  mill  will  no  longer  be  heard  at  all ; 
And  light  of  lamp  will  by  no  means  be  seen  in  thee 

any  more. 
And  voice  of  bridegroom  and  bride   will  no  longer 

be  heard  in  thee, 
For  thy  merchants  were  the  greatest  of  the  earth, 
For  by  thy  sorcery  all  the  nations  were  led  astray." 
[And  in  her  was  found  blood  of  prophets  and  saints, 
And  of  all  that  have  been  slain  on  the  earth.]  ^^ 

VI 

THE  VISION  OF  JUDGMENT 


After  these  things  I  heard  [what  sounded]  like  a 
great  voice  of  a  numerous  throng  in  heaven,  saying, 

"  Hallelujah ! 

Salvation  and  glory   and  power  are  our  God's, 

Because  true  and  righteous  are  his  judgments. 

For  he  judged  the  great  Harlot 

Who  corrupted  the  earth  with  her  harlotry. 

And  avenged  the  blood  of  his  slaves  at  her  hand." 

And  a  second  time  they  said, 

"Hallelujah! 

And   her   smoke   goes  up   for  age   after   age." 

**  The  lines  in  brackets  appear  to  be  either  an  interpolation  by  a  later 
hand,  or  an  afterthought  of  the  author,  clumsily  worked  into  his  completed 
MS.— 7V. 


256  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  the  twenty-four  elders  and  the  four  Living 
Creatures  also  did  homage  to  God  who  sat  on  the  throne, 
saying, 

"Amen,  Hallelujah!" 

And  a  voice  came  forth  from  the  throne,  saying, 

"  Praise  our  God,  all  his  slaves, 

Those  that  fear  him,  small  and  great." 

And  I  heard  [what  sounded]  like  a  voice  of  a  numerous 
throng,  or  like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  or  like  the 
sound  of  mighty  thunders,  saying, 

"Hallelujah! 

Because  the  Lord  our  God,  Ruler  of  all,  has  become 

King! 
Let  us  rejoice  and  exult  and  give  him  the  glory, 
For  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  has  come 
And  his  Wife  has  made  herself  ready. 
And  it  was  given  her  to  be  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white, 

clean. 
For  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteous  deeds  of  the  saints." 

And  he  says  to  me,  "  Write : 

'  Happy  are  they  that  are  invited  to  the  marriage  supper 
of  the  Lamb.' " 

And  he  says  to  me, 

"  These  are  true  words  of  God." 

And  I  fell  before  his  feet  to  do  homage  to  him,  but  he 
says  to  me, 

"  Beware !    Not  so ! 

I  am  fellow  servant  of  you 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  257 

And  your  brothers  that  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus. 

Do  homage  to  God ; 

For  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy." 

2 

And  I  saw  heaven  opened, 

And  lo,  a  white  horse 

And  he  that  sat  on  him,  called  Faithful  and  True; 

And  he  judges  and  wages  war  in  righteousness. 

And  his  eyes  are  a  flame  of  fire. 

And  many  diadems  are  on  his  head. 

He  has  a  name  written  that  none  but  himself  knows. 

And  he  is  clothed  in  a  cloak  dipped  in  blood, 

And  the  name  by  which  he  is  called  is,  the  word  of 

GOD. 

And  the  armies  that  are  in  heaven  follow  him,  on  white 

horses, 
Clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean. 
And  a  sharp  sword  goes  out  of  his  mouth,  that  with 

it  he  may  smite  the  nations, 
And  he  will  himself  shepherd  them  with  an  iron  stafif, 
And  he  himself  treads  the  wine-press  of  the  fierce 

wrath  of  God,  the  Ruler  of  all. 
And  he  has  his  name  written  on  his  cloak  and  on  his 

thigh,    KING  OF   KINGS   AND   LORD   OF   LORDS. 

3 

And  I  saw  a  single  angel  standing  in  the  sun. 

And  he  called  with  a  great  voice. 

Saying  to  all  the  birds  that  fly  in  mid-heaven : 

"  Hither !    Be  gathered  together  unto  the  great  feast  of 

God, 
To  eat  the  flesh  of  kings  and  flesh  of  captains  and  flesh 
of  mighty  men, 
B 


258  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  flesh  of  horses  and  of  those  that  sit  on  them, 
And  flesh  of  all,  both  freemen  and  slaves,  and  small 
and  great." 

4 

And  I  saw  the  Beast  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  their 
armies  gathered  together  to  wage  war  on  him  that  sat 
on  the  horse  and  on  his  army.  And  the  Beast  was  seized, 
and  along  with  him  the  false  prophet  who  did  the  signs 
before  him,  with  which  he  led  astray  those  that  received 
the  Beast's  brand  and  those  that  prostrated  themselves 
before  his  image.  The  two  were  cast  alive  into  the  Lake 
of  Fire  that  burns  with  brimstone.  And  the  rest  were 
killed  by  the  sword  of  him  that  sits  on  the  horse — 
the  sword  that  went  forth  out  of  his  mouth.  And  all  the 
birds  were  filled  with  their  flesh. 

5 
And  I  saw  an  angel  coming  down  out  of  heaven,  hav- 
ing the  key  of  the  abyss  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand. 
And  he  laid  hold  of  the  Dragon,  the  ancient  Serpent, 
who  is  the  Devil  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  for  a  thou- 
sand years;  and  cast  him  into  the  abyss  and  closed  it 
and  sealed  it  over  him,  that  he  should  lead  the  nations 
astray  no  longer,  until  the  thousand  years  are  completed. 
After  this  he  must  be  released  for  a  short  time. 


And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  on  them,  and  authority 
to  judge  was  given  them.  And  [I  saw]  the  souls  of 
those  that  had  been  beheaded  because  of  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  and  the  word  of  God,  and  whosoever  did 
not  pay  homage  to  the  Beast  nor  his  image;  and  they 
lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  for  a  thousand  years.    The 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  259 

rest  of  the  dead  did  not  live  till  the  thousand  years  were 
completed. 

This  is  the  first  Resurrection. 

Happy  and  holy  he  that  has  part  in  the  first  Resurrec- 
tion ! 
Over  these  the  Second  Death  has  no  power. 
But  they  will  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ 
And  will  reign  with  him  for  a  thousand  years. 

And  when  the  thousand  years  are  finished,  Satan  will  be 
released  from  his  prison.  And  he  will  go  forth  to  lead 
astray  the  nations  that  are  in  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  to  gather  them  together  for 
the  war,  whose  number  is  as  the  sand  of  the  sea.  And 
they  went  up  on  the  breadth  of  the  earth,  and  encircled 
the  camp  of  the  saints  and  the  beloved  city;  and  fire 
came  down  out  of  heaven  and  devoured  them.  And  the 
Devil  who  led  them  astray  was  cast  into  the  Lake  of 
Fire  and  Brimstone,  where  the  Beast  and  the  false 
prophet  were  also.  And  they  will  be  tortured  day  and 
night  for  age  after  age. 

7 
And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne 
And  him  that  sat  on  it, 

From  whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  fled 
And  no  place  was  found  for  them. 
And  I  saw  the  dead,  the  great  and  the  small,  standing 

before  the  throne. 
And  books  were  opened. 
And  another  book  was  opened  which  is   [the  Book] 

of  Life. 
And  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  the  things  that  had 

been  written  in  the  books. 


26o  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

According  to  their  deeds. 

And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  that  were  in  it, 

And  Death  and  Hades  gave  up  the  dead  that  were  in 

them ; 
And  each  one  was  judged  according  to  his  deeds. 
And  Death  and  Hades  were  cast  into  the  Lake  of  Fire. 
This  is  the  Second  Death — the  Lake  of  Fire. 
And  if  any  one  was  found  not  written  in  the  Book  of 

Life,  he  was  cast  into  the  Lake  of  Fire. 

VII 
THE  VISION  OF  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM 

And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth. 

For  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  passed  away, 

And  the  sea  is  no  more. 

And  I  saw  the  Holy  City,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down 

out  of  heaven  from  God, 
Made  ready  like  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 
And  I  heard  a  great  voice  from  the  throne  saying, 

"  Lo,  the  Tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men. 

And  he  will  tent  with  them,  and  they  will  be  his  people, 

And  God  himself  will  be  with  them. 

And  he  will  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their  eyes. 

And  Death  will  be  no  more, 

Neither  will  mourning  nor  crying  nor  pain  be  any  more. 

Because  the  first  things  are  passed  away." 

And  he  that  sat  on  the  throne  said, 

"  Behold,  I  make  all  things  new." 

And  he  said, 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  261 

"  Write,   because    these   things   are   trustworthy   and 
true." 

And  he  added : 

"  They  have  come  to  pass. 

I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega, 

The  Beginning  and  the  End. 

To  him  that  thirsts  I  will  freely  give  of  the  fountain 

of  the  Water  of  Life. 
He  that  is  victor  will  inherit  these  things. 
And  I  will  be  to  him  God,  and  he  will  be  a  son  to  me. 
But  as  for  the  cowards  and  unbelieving  and  defiled, 
And   murderers   and    fornicators    and   sorcerers   and 

idolaters  and  all  liars, 
Their  part  will  be  in  the  Lake  that  burns  with  fire  and 

brimstone, 
"VMiich  is  the  Second  Death." 

And  there  came  to  me  one  of  the  seven  angels  that  had 
the  seven  bowls  filled  with  the  seven  last  plagues,  and 
talked  with  me,  saying,  "  Come  hither,  I  will  show  you 
the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife."  And  he  brought  me  in  the 
spirit  to  a  mountain,  great  and  high,  and  he  showed  me 
the  Holy  City,  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of  heaven 
from  God,  having  the  glory  of  God^ — ^her  brightness 
was  like  that  of  a  very  precious  stone,  like  a  jasper-stone, 
transparent  as  crystal.  The  City  had  a  wall,  great  and 
high,  with  twelve  gates,  and  at  the  gates  twelve  angels, 
and  names  written  on  them — the  names  of  the  twelve 
tribes  of  the  sons  of  Israel.  On  the  east  were  three 
gates,  and  on  the  north  three  gates,  and  on  the  south 
three  gates,  and  on  the  west  three  gates.  And  the  wall 
of  the  City  had  twelve  foundation-stones,  and  on  them 
the  twelve  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 

And  he  that  talked  with  me  had  a  golden  reed  as  a 


262  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

measure,  to  measure  the  City  and  its  gates  and  its  wall. 
And  the  City  lies  square,  and  its  length  is  equal  to  its 
breadth.  And  he  measured  the  City  with  the  reed,  twelve 
thousand  furlongs.  The  length  and  breadth  and  height 
of  it  are  equal.  And  he  measured  its  wall,  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  feet,  man's  measure,  which  is  [the  same  as] 
an  angel's.  And  the  material  of  its  wall  is  jasper,  and 
the  City  is  pure  gold,  like  pure  glass.  The  foundations  of 
the  City's  wall  are  adorned  with  every  precious  stone. 
The  first  foundation-stone  was  jasper,  the  second  sap- 
phire, the  third  chalcedony,  the  fourth  emerald,  the  fifth 
sardonyx,  the  sixth  sardius,  the  seventh  chrysolite,  the 
eighth  beryl,  the  ninth  topaz,  the  tenth  chrysophrase,  the 
eleventh  hyacinth,  the  twelfth  amethyst.  And  the  twelve 
gates  were  twelve  pearls,  each  several  gate  was  of  a 
single  pearl.  And  the  City's  street  was  pure  gold,  like 
transparent  glass. 

And  I  saw  no  Temple  in  it, 

For  the  Lord  God,  the  Ruler  of  all,  is  its  Temple,  and 

the  Lamb. 
And  the  City  has  no  need  of  the  sun. 
Nor  of  the  moon  to  light  it. 

For  God's  glory  lighted  it  and  the  Lamb  is  its  lamp. 
And  the  nations  will  walk  by  its  light, 
And  the  kings  of  the  earth  will  bring  their  glory  into  it. 
And  its  gates  will  not  be  shut  at  all  by  day 
(For  there  is  no  night  there). 
And  they  will  bring  the  glory  and  the  honor  of  the 

nations  into  it. 
And  there  will  by  no  means  come  into  it  anything 

common, 
Or  that  which  works  defilement  and  lying, 
Only  those  that  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of 

Life. 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  263 

And  he  showed  me  a  river  of  Water  of  Life,  bright  as 
crystal,  going  forth  from  the  throne  of  God  and  the 
Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  its  street,  and  on  each  side  of 
the  river,  was  a  Tree  of  Life,  bearing  twelve  fruits,  yield- 
ing its  fruit  every  month. 

And  the  leaves  of  the  Tree  are  for  the  healing  of  the 

nations, 
And  there  will  no  longer  be  any  curse. 
And  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  will  be  in  it, 
And  his  slaves  will  serve  him  and  will  see  his  face. 
And  his  name  will  be  in  their  foreheads. 
And  there  will  be  no  more  night ; 
And  they  will  need  no  lamplight  or  sunlight. 
Because  the  Lord  God  lights  them. 
And  they  will  reign  for  age  after  age. 

EPILOGUE 

And  he  said  to  me,  "  These  words  are  worthy  of  trust 
and  true;  and  the  Lord,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  the 
prophets,  has  sent  his  angel  to  tell  to  his  slaves  the 
things  that  must  soon  come  to  pass.  And  behold  I  am 
coming  quickly;  happy  is  he  that  attends  to  the  words 
of  the  prophecy  of  this  book." 

And  I,  John,  am  he  that  heard  and  saw  these  things. 
And  when  I  heard  and  saw,  I  fell  down  to  do  homage  at 
the  feet  of  the  angel  who  showed  me  these  things.  And 
he  says  to  me, 

"  Beware !    Not  so ! 

I   am    fellow    slave   of    you    and   your   brothers   the 

prophets, 
And  of  those  that  attend  carefully  to  the  words  of  this 

book; 
Do  homage  to  God." 


264  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  he  added : 

"  Seal  not  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book ; 

For  the  crisis  is  at  hand. 

He  that  is  unrighteous,  let  him  be  unrighteous  still, 

And  he  that  is  vile,  let  him  still  be  vile, 

And  he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  do  righteousness  still. 

And  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  made  holy  still." 

(Jesus  speaks.) 

"  See,  I  am  coming  quickly,  and  my  reward  is  with  me. 

To  give  each  one  according  to  his  work. 

I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega, 

The  First  and  the  Last, 

The  Beginning  and  the  End. 

Happy  those  that  zvash  their  robes 

So  that  theirs  ivill  he  the  right  to  the  Tree  of  Life, 

And  they  may  enter  in  by  the  gates  into  the  City. 

Without  are  the  dogs  and  sorcerers  and  fornicators  and 

murderers  and  idolaters. 
And  every  one  that  loves  and  practices  lying. 

I,  Jesus,  have  sent  my  angel 
To  testify  to  you  these  things  in  the  churches. 
I  am  the  root  and  offspring  of  David, 
The  bright,  the  morning  star. 

And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come; 

And  let  him  that  hears  say,  Come; 

And  let  him  that  thirsts  come; 

Let  him  that  zuills  take  freely  the  Water  of  Life." 

I  testify  to  every  one  that  hears  the  words  of  the 

prophecy  of  this  book, 
If  any  one  shall  add  to  them, 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    APOCALYPSE  265 

God  will  add  to  him  the  plagues  written  in  this  book. 
And  if  any  one  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the 

book  of  this  prophecy, 
God  will  take  away  his  part  from  the  Tree  of  Life 
And  out  of  the  Holy  City,  which  are  written  in  this 

book. 

He  that  testifies  to  these  things  says, 

"  Yea,  I  am  coming  quickly." 
So  be  it ;  come,  Lord  Jesus ! 

The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  be  with  the  saints. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  JOHN 

PROLOGUE 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word, 

And  the  Word  was  with  God, 

And  the  Word  was  God. 

He  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 

All  things  were  made  through  him, 

And  apart  from  him  not  one  created  thing  came  into 

being.^ 
In  him  was  Life, 

And  the  Life  was  the  Light  of  men. 
And  the  Light  shines  in  the  darkness, 
And  the  darkness  did  not  comprehend  it. 

There  was  once  a  man  sent  from  God,  his  name  John. 

He  came  for  testimony, 

To  testify  concerning  the  Light, 

That  all  might  believe  through  him. 

He  was  not  the  Light, 

But  came  to  testify  concerning  the  Light. 

The  true  Light,  that  lights  every  man,  was  coming  into 

the  world. 
He  was  in  the  world. 
And  the  world  was  made  through  him. 
And  the  world  did  not  know  him. 
Unto  his  own  he  came, 

^  Origen  gives  an  interesting  variation  from  this  text:  "And  apart  from 
him  not  one  thing  was  made.  That  which  was  made  was  Life  in  him," 
etc.— Tr. 

266 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  267 

And  his  own  did  not  receive  him : 

But  to  as  many  as  did  receive  him,  he  gave  power  to 

become  children  of  God — 
Those  who  beheve  on  his  name. 

Who  were  born,  not  of  blood, 

Nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh, 

Nor  of  the  will  of  man. 

But  of  God. 

And  the  Word  became  flesh  and  tented  among  us, 
Full  of  grace  and  truth ; 
And  we  beheld  his  glory — 
Glory  as  of  an  Only-begotten  from  the  Father. 
John  testifies  concerning  him  and  cries,  saying, 
"  This  was  he  of  whom  I  said, 

*  He  that  comes  after  me  has  been  placed  before  me. 
Because  he  was  First.'  " 
For  out  of  his  fulness  we  all  received. 
And  grace  succeeding  grace. 
For  the  law  was  given  through  Moses ; 
Grace  and  truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ. 
No  one  has  ever  seen  God ; 

God  only-begotten,  he  that  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  declared  him. 


268  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 


I.  THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  EARLY  MINISTRY 

I.  The  Testimony  of  John  and  His  Disciples 

And  this  is  the  testimony  of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent 
priests  and  Levites  from  Jerusalem,  to  ask  him,  "  Who 
are  you  ?  " 

And  he  confessed  and  did  not  deny;  and  he  con- 
fessed, "  I  am  not  the  Christ." 

And  they  asked  him,  "  What  then?    Are  you  EHjah?  " 

"  I  am  not,"  he  says. 

"  Are  you  the  prophet  ?  " 

And  he  repHed,  "  No." 

Then  they  say  to  him,  "  Who  are  you — that  we  may 
give  some  answer  to  those  that  sent  us — what  do  you  say 
concerning  yourself  ? " 

"  I  am  a  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,"  he  said, 
"Make  straight  the  Lord's  zvay,  as  Isaiah  the  prophet 
said." 

Now  they  had  been  sent  from  the  Pharisees.  And  they 
asked  him,  "  Why  then  do  you  immerse,  if  you  are  not 
the  Christ,  nor  Elijah,  nor  the  prophet?" 

John  answered  them,  "  I  immerse  in  water.  In  the 
midst  of  you  stands  one  whom  you  do  not  perceive — he 
that  comes  after  me — whose  shoe-strings  I  am  not  worthy 
to  untie." 

These  things  took  place  in  Bethany  beyond  the  Jordan, 
where  John  was  immersing. 

On  the  next  day  he  sees  Jesus  coming  to  him,  and  says, 
"  Behold  God's  Lamb,  who  takes  away  the  sin  of  the 
world !  This  is  the  one  of  whom  I  said, '  After  me  comes 
a  man  who  has  been  placed  before  me,  because  he  was 
First.'  And  I  did  not  recognize  him,  but  that  he  might 
be  made  known  to  Israel — for  this  I  came  immersing  in 
water." 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION:   GOSPEL  269 

And  John  testified,  saying,  '  1  have  beheld  the  Spirit 
descending  as  a  dove  out  of  heaven,  and  it  remained  upon 
him.  And  I  did  not  recognize  him,  but  the  One  who  sent 
me  to  immerse  in  water  said  to  me,  '  Upon  whomsoever 
you  shall  see  the  Spirit  descending  and  remaining  upon 
him,  this  is  he  who  immerses  in  the  Holy  Spirit.'  And  I 
have  seen  and  testified  that  this  is  God's  Son." 

On  the  next  day  John  was  again  standing,  and  two  of 
his  disciples.  And  looking  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he 
says,  ''  Behold  God's  Lamb."  And  the  two  disciples 
heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus. 

And  Jesus  turning  and  beholding  them  following  says 
to  them,  "  What  are  you  seeking?  " 

They  said  to  him,  "  Rabbi  (which  in  our  language 
means  Teacher),  where  are  you  staying?  " 

"  Come  and  you  will  see,"  he  replies. 

So  they  came  and  saw  where  he  was  staying,  and  they 
stayed  with  him  that  day,  for  it  was  about  four  o'clock. 
Andrew,  the  brother  of  Simon  Peter,  was  one  of  the  two 
who  heard  this  from  John  and  followed  him.  He  finds 
first  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  says  to  him, 

"We  have  found  the  Messiah"  (which  in  our  lan- 
guage is  the  Christ,  or  the  Anointed). 

He  brought  him  to  Jesus.  And  looking  on  him,  Jesus 
said, 

"  You  are  Simon,  the  son  of  John ;  you  will  be  called 
Kephas  "  (which  means  Peter,  a  Rock). 

On  the  next  day  Jesus  -  wished  to  go  forth  into  Galilee, 
and  he  finds  Philip  and  says  to  him, 

"  Follow  me." 

Philip  finds  Nathanael  and  says  to  him, 

"  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  wrote  in  the  law, 

2  The  verb  "  wished  "  has  no  subject  expressed  in  the  Greek,  a  fact  that 
leads  Bacon  to  suggest  an  editorial  excision  after  verse  42  of  a  further 
account  of  the  calling  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee.  The  translation  given  above 
solves  the  difficulty  in  a  manner  open  to  much  less  objection. — Tr. 


270  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

and  the  prophets:  Jesus,  son  of  Joseph,  who  is  from 
Nazareth." 

And  Nathanael  said  to  him,  "  Can  anything  good  come 
out  of  Nazareth  ?  " 

"  Come  and  see,"  replies  Philip. 

Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him  and  says  concern- 
ing him,  "  Here  is  certainly  an  Israelite  in  whom  there 
is  no  deceit." 

'*  How  do  you  know  about  me  ?  "  asks  Nathanael. 

"  Before  Philip  called  you,"  Jesus  replied  to  him, 
"  when  you  were  under  the  fig  tree,  I  saw  you." 

"  Teacher,"  answered  Nathanael,  "  you  are  God's  Son, 
you  are  Israel's  king." 

Jesus  said  in  reply,  "  Do  you  trust  because  I  said  to 
you,  '  I  saw  you  beneath  the  fig  tree  ? '  You  will  see 
greater  things  than  these."  And  he  added,  "  In  very 
truth  I  say  to  you,  You  will  see  heaven  opened,  and 
God's  angels  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son  of 
man." 

2.  The  First  Sign  at  Cana 

And  two  days  later  there  was  a  wedding  at  Cana  of 
Galilee,  and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there.  And  Jesus 
also,  with  his  disciples,  was  invited  to  the  wedding.  And 
when  wine  failed,  the  mother  of  Jesus  says  to  him, 
"  They  have  no  wine." 

But  Jesus  says  to  her,  "  Madam,  what  have  you  to  do 
with  me?    My  time  has  not  yet  come." 

His  mother  says  to  the  servants,  "  Do  whatever  he 
tells  you." 

Now  there  were  standing  there  six  stone  water-jars,  in 
accordance  with  the  Jews'  custom  of  purifying,  holding 
twenty  or  thirty  gallons  each.    Jesus  says  to  them, 

"  Fill  the  water- jars  with  water." 

And  they  filled  them  clear  up.    And  he  says  to  them. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATIOiNT  :    GOSPEL  2/1 

"  Draw  now,  and  carry  to  the  toastmaster." 

And  they  carried  it.  Now  when  the  toastmaster  tasted 
the  water  that  had  become  wine  and  did  not  know  where 
it  had  come  from  (but  the  servants  who  drew  the  water 
knew),  he  calls  the  bridegroom  and  says  to  him, 

"  Every  man  first  puts  on  the  good  wine,  and  the 
worse  when  they  have  drunk  freely;  you  have  kept  the 
good  wine  until  now." 

This  beginning  of  signs  Jesus  did  in  Cana  of  Galilee, 
and  made  his  glory  evident,  and  his  disciples  believed  on 
him.  After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he  and  his 
mother  and  his  brothers  and  his  disciples;  and  they  did 
not  stay  there  many  days. 


3.  Jesus  Testifies  to  Himself  in  the  Temple 

And  the  Jews'  passover  was  near,  and  Jesus  went  up 
to  Jerusalem.  And  he  found  in  the  Temple  those  who 
were  selling  oxen  and  sheep  and  doves,  and  the  brokers 
sitting  there.  And  he  made  a  whip  of  small  cords  and 
drove  all  forth  out  of  the  Temple,  both  the  sheep  and 
the  oxen ;  and  poured  out  the  brokers'  money  and  over- 
turned the  tables.  And  to  those  who  were  selling  the 
doves  he  said, 

"  Take  these  things  away :  do  not  make  my  Father's 
house  a  house  of  trade." 

His  disciples  remembered  that  it  is  written, 

Zeal  for  thy  house  zvill  dci'our  me. 

The  Jews  thereupon  asked  him,  "  What  sign  do  you 
show  us,  seeing  that  you  do  these  things  ?  " 

"  Destroy  this  temple,"  Jesus  answered,  "  and  in  three 
days  I  will  raise  it  up." 

Then  the  Jews  said,  "  This  Temple  was  forty-six  years 
in  building,  and  will  you  raise  it  up  in  three  days?  " 

But  he  was  speaking  about  the  temple  of  his  body. 


272  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

When  therefore  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  his  disciples 
remembered  that  he  said  this;  and  they  beheved  the 
Scripture  and  the  word  that  Jesus  spoke. 

4.  The  Testimony  of  Jesus  to  Nicodemus 

Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  during 
the  feast  many  believed  on  his  Name,  beholding  the  signs 
that  he  continued  to  do.  But  Jesus  was  not  trusting  him- 
self to  them,  because  he  knew  all  men ;  and  because  he 
had  no  need  that  any  one  should  testify  concerning  man, 
for  he  himself  knew  what  was  in  man.  But  there  was  a 
man  of  the  Pharisees,  Nicodemus  by  name,  a  ruler  of  the 
Jews.    This  man  came  to  him  by  night  and  said  to  him, 

"  Teacher,  we  know  that  you  have  come  from  God  as 
an  instructor,  for  no  one  can  do  these  signs  that  you 
are  doing  unless  God  is  with  him." 

Jesus  replied  to  him: 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

Unless  one  is  born  from  above 

He  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 

"  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old?  "  Nicode- 
mus says  to  him ;  "  He  cannot  enter  a  second  time  into 
his  mother's  womb  and  be  born,  can  he?" 

Jesus  answered: 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

Unless  one  is  born  of  water  and  Spirit, 

He  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

That  which  has  been  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh. 

And  that  which  has  been  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit. 

Do  not  wonder  that  I  told  you, 

'  You  must  be  born  from  above.' 

The  wind  blows  where  it  wills,  and  you  hear  its  voice, 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  273 

Yet  do  not  know  whence  it  comes  and  whither  it  is 

going; 
So  is  every  one  that  has  been  born  of  the  Spirit." 

"How  can  these  things  be?"  asked  Nicodemus, 

"  Are  you  Israel's  teacher,  and  do  not  understand  these 

ings  ?  "  repHed  Jesus. 

"  In  very  truth  I  tell  you 

What  we  know  we  are  speaking 

And  what  we  have  seen  we  are  testifying, 

And  you  do  not  receive  our  testimony. 

If  I  told  you  the  things  upon  earth  and  you  do  not  be- 
lieve, 

How  will  you  believe  if  I  shall  tell  you  the  things  that 
take  place  in  heaven? 

And  no  one  has  ascended  into  heaven, 

Save  he  that  descended  out  of  heaven — 

The  Son  of  man. 

And  just  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilder- 
ness, 

So  must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up. 

That  every  one  who  trusts  in  him  may  have  eternal 
life. 

For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only- 
begotten  Son, 

That  every  one  who  trusts  in  him  may  not  perish  but 
have  eternal  life. 

For  God  did  not  send  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world, 

But  that  the  world  might  be  delivered  through  him. 

He  that  trusts  in  him  is  not  condemned, 

But  he  that  does  not  trust  has  already  been  condemned, 

Because  he  has  not  trusted  in  the  Name  of  the  only- 
begotten  Son  of  God. 
s 


274  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

Now  this  is  the  sentence : 
That  the  Light  has  come  into  the  world 
And  men  preferred  the  darkness  to  the  Light, 
For  their  deeds  were  evil. 
For  every  one  that  practises  evil  hates  the  light 
And  does  not  come  to  the  light, 
Lest  his  deeds  should  be  exposed; 
But  he  that  does  what  truth  requires  comes  to  the  light, 
In  order  that  it  may  be  made  known  that  his  conduct 
has  been  according  to  God's  will. 

"  He  that  comes  from  above  is  above  all. 

He  that  is  from  the  earth  is  from  the  earth  and  speaks 

from  the  earth. 
He  that  comes  from  heaven  is  above  all ; 
He  testifies  what  he  has  seen  and  heard, 
And  no  one  receives  his  testimony. 
He  that  receives  his  testimony  has  set  his  seal 
That  God  is  truthful. 

For  he  whom  God  sent  speaks  God's  words, 
For  he  does  not  give  the  Spirit  by  measure. 
The  Father  loves  the  Son 
And  has  given  all  things  into  his  hand. 
He  that  trusts  in  the  Son  has  eternal  life ; 
He  that  does  not  trust  in  the  Son  will  not  see  life, 
But  God's  wrath  rests  on  him." 


5.  John's  Second  Testimony 

After  these  things  Jesus  and  his  disciples  came  into  the 
region  of  Judea,  and  there  he  continued  to  stay  with  them 
and  immerse.  And  John  was  also  immersing  in  ^non, 
near  Salim,  because  there  were  many  streams  there ;  and 
they  continued  to  come  and  be  immersed,  for  John  was 
not  yet  cast  into  prison.    Then  a  controversy  rose  on  the 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  2/5 

part  of  John's  disciples  with  a  Jew  about  purification, 
and  they  came  to  John  and  said  to  him, 

"  Teacher,  he  who  was  with  you  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Jordan,  to  whom  you  have  testified — behold,  he  is 
immersing,  and  all  are  coming  to  him." 

John  replied,  "  A  man  can  receive  nothing  unless  it  has 
been  given  him  from  heaven.  You  yourselves  bear  me 
witness  that  I  said,  '  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but  am  sent 
before  him.'  The  bridegroom  is  the  one  who  has  the 
bride,  but  the  bridegroom's  friend  who  stands  and  hears 
him,  rejoices  greatly  because  of  the  bridegroom's  voice. 
Therefore  this  joy  of  mine  has  been  made  complete.  He 
must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

6.  Testimony  of  the  Samaritan  Woman 

When  therefore  the  Master  knew  that  the  Pharisees 
neard,  '  Jesus  is  making  and  immersing  more  disciples 
than  John  ' — though  Jesus  himself  was  not  accustomed  to 
immerse,  but  his  disciples — he  left  Judea  and  went  away 
again  into  Galilee.  Now  it  was  necessary  that  he  should 
pass  through  Samaria ;  so  he  comes  to  a  town  of  Samaria 
called  Sychar,  near  the  field  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph.  And  Jacob's  fountain  was  there.  So  Jesus, 
wearied  with  the  journey,  was  consequently  sitting  by  the 
fountain's  side.  It  was  about  noon.  A  woman  of  Sa- 
maria comes  to  draw  water.    Jesus  says  to  her, 

"  Give  me  a  drink  " — for  his  disciples  had  gone  away 
into  the  town  to  buy  food. 

"  How  is  it,"  says  the  Samaritan  woman  to  him, 
"  that  you,  who  are  a  Jew,  ask  a  drink  of  me,  a  Samaritan 
woman  ? " ^ 

"  H  you  recognized  God's  gift,"  Jesus  answered,  "  and 
who  it  is  that  says  to  you,  *  Give  me  a  drink,'  you  would 

-  For  Jews  do  not  associate  with  Samaritans. 


2^^  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

have  asked  him  and  he  would  have  given  you  living 
water." 

She  says  to  him,  "  Sir,  you  have  no  bucket  and  the 
well  is  deep ;  whence  have  you  the  living  water  ?  You  are 
not  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave  us  the  well, 
and  himself  drank  of  it,  and  his  sons  and  flocks?  " 

Jesus  answered : 

"  Every  one  that  drinks  of  this  water  will  thirst  again ; 
But  whosoever  shall  drink  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 

him  will  never  thirst. 
But  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  will  become  in  him 

a  fountain  of  water. 
Springing  up  unto  eternal  life." 

"  Sir,"  says  the  woman  to  him,  "  give  me  this  water, 
that  I  may  not  thirst,  nor  come  all  the  way  here  to  draw." 

He  says  to  her,  "  Go,  call  your  husband  and  come  here." 

"  I  have  no  husband,"  the  woman  replied. 

"  You  said  well,  '  I  Have  no  husband,'  "  Jesus  says  to 
her,  "  for  you  have  had  five  husbands,  and  he  whom  you 
now  have  is  not  your  husband — in  this  you  have  spoken 
truly." 

"  Sir,"  the  woman  says  to  him,  "  I  perceive  that  you  are 
a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshiped  in  this  mountain,  and 
you  say  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  one  ought 
to  worship." 

"  Trust  me,  madam,"  says  Jesus  to  her,  "  a  time  is 
coming  when  neither  in  this  mountain  nor  in  Jerusalem 
will  you  worship  the  Father. 

"  You  worship  you  know  not  what. 
We  know  what  we  worship. 
Because  deliverance  is  from  the  Jews. 
But  a  time  is  coming,  and  is  now  here, 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  277 

When  the  real  worshipers  will  worship  the  Father  in 

spirit  and  truth; 
For  the  Father  is  seeking  such  also  as  his  worshipers. 
God  is  Spirit, 
And  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  in  spirit  and 

in  truth." 

The  woman  says  to  him,  "  I  know  that  Messiah  is  com- 
ing (he  who  is  called  Christ) ;  when  he  shall  come  he  will 
tell  us  all  things." 

"  I  that  am  talking  to  you  am  he,"  Jesus  replies. 

And  at  this  moment  his  disciples  came  and  began  to 
wonder  that  he  was  talking  with  a  woman;  however, 
no  one  said,  "  What  are  you  trying  to  do  ?  "  or,  "  Why 
are  you  talking  with  her  ?  " 

The  woman  then  left  her  water-jar  and  went  away 
into  the  city,  and  says  to  the  men, 

"  Come,  see  a  man  who  told  me  all  the  things  that  I 
ever  did.     Can  this  be  the  Christ  ?  " 

They  went  forth  out  of  the  city  and  were  coming  to 
him.  In  the  meantime  his  disciples  began  to  entreat  him, 
saying,  "  Teacher,  eat." 

But  he  said  to  them,  "  I  have  food  to  eat  that  you  do 
not  know." 

So  the  disciples  said  to  one  another,  "  Has  any  one 
brought  him  anything  to  eat?  " 

Jesus  says  to  them : 

"  My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me 

And  to  finish  his  work. 

Do  you  not  say, 

'  There  are  yet  four  months 

And  then  comes  the  harvest  ?  ' 

Lo,  I  say  to  you,  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  see  the  fields 

That  they  are  already  white  for  harvest. 


278  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

The  reaper  receives  wages 

And  gathers  fruit  unto  eternal  life, 

That  sower  and  reaper  may  rejoice  together. 

For  thus  the  saying  is  true, 

'  One  sows  and  another  reaps.' 

I  sent  you  to  reap  that  on  which  you  had  not  toiled. 

Others  have  toiled  and  you  have  entered  into  their  toil." 

And  out  of  that  city  many  of  the  Samaritans  trusted  in 
him,  because  of  the  word  of  the  woman  who  testified, 
"  He  told  me  all  the  things  that  I  ever  did."  So  when 
the  Samaritans  came  to  him  they  began  to  entreat  him 
to  stay  among  them,  and  he  stayed  there  two  days.  And 
many  more  trusted  because  of  his  word,  and  they  said 
to  the  woman, 

"  We  are  no  longer  believing  because  of  your  talk ; 
for  we  ourselves  have  heard  and  know  that  this  is  cer- 
tainly the  deliverer  of  the  world." 

7.  The  Second  Sign  at  Cana 

Now  after  the  two  days  he  went  away  from  that  place 
into  Galilee.  For  Jesus  himself  testified  that  a  prophet 
has  no  honor  in  his  own  native  place.  So  when  he  came 
into  Galilee,  the  Galileans  received  him  favorably,  having 
seen  all  things  that  he  did  in  Jerusalem  at  the  feast;  for 
they  also  went  to  the  feast. 

So  Jesus  came  again  to  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  he 
made  the  water  wine.  And  there  was  a  certain  royal 
officer,  whose  son  was  ill  at  Capernaum.  When  he  heard 
that  Jesus  had  come  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee,  he  went 
away  to  him  and  begged  him  to  come  down  and  heal  his 
son;  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.  Jesus  therefore 
said  to  him, 

"  Unless  you  see  signs  and  wonders  you  will  not  be- 
lieve." 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  279 

"  Sir,"  the  officer  says  to  him,  "  come  down  before  my 
little  boy  dies." 

Jesus  says  to  him,  "  Go,  your  son  lives." 

And  the  man  had  confidence  in  the  word  that  Jesus 
spoke  to  him,  and  turned  to  go.  And  while  he  was  now 
returning,  his  slaves  met  him,  saying  that  his  son  is 
living.  So  he  began  to  inquire  of  them  the  time  when  he 
became  better.    And  they  said  to  him, 

"  Yesterday  at  one  o'clock  the  fever  left  him." 

Then  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  very  hour 
when  Jesus  said,  "  Your  son  lives."  And  he  trusted  and 
his  entire  household.  This  again,  a  second  sign,  Jesus  did 
when  he  came  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee. 


280  THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 


II.  THE  WITNESS  TO  THE  JEWISH  NATION,  AND  ITS 
REJECTION 

I.  The  Sign  at  the  Pool  of  Bethesda 

After  these  things  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  and 
Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  Now  there  is  in  Jerusalem 
by  the  sheep-gate  a  pool,  called  in  Hebrew  Bethesda, 
which  has  five  porches.  In  these  a  great  number  of  in- 
valids were  accustomed  to  lie — blind,  lame,  withered. 
And  there  was  a  certain  man  there  who  had  been  thirty- 
eight  years  in  his  infirmity.  Jesus  seeing  him  lying,  and 
knowing  that  he  had  already  been  a  long  time  there,  says 
to  him, 

"  Do  you  wish  to  be  made  well  ? " 

"  Sir,"  the  invalid  answered  him,  "  I  have  no  man  to 
put  me  into  the  pool  when  the  water  is  stirred,  but  while 
I  am  coming  another  goes  down  before  me." 

Jesus  says  to  him,  "  Rise,  take  up  your  pallet,  and 
walk." 

And  immediately  the  man  became  well,  and  took  tip 
his  pallet,  and  began  to  walk.  Now  it  was  a  sabbath 
on  that  day ;  so  the  Jews  began  to  say  to  the  man  that  had 
been  healed, 

"  It  is  a  sabbath ;  you  have  no  right  to  carry  the  pallet." 

He  replied,  "  He  that  made  me  well  said  to  me,  '  Take 
up  your  pallet,  and  walk.'  " 

"  Who  is  the  man,"  they  asked  him,  "  that  said  to 
you,  *  Take  up  your  pallet,  and  walk  '  ?  " 

Now  he  that  was  healed  did  not  recognize  who  it  was, 
for  Jesus  withdrew,  since  there  was  a  crowd  in  the  place. 
Afterward  Jesus  found  him  in  the  Temple,  and  said  to 
him, 

"  See,  you  have  become  well ;  sin  no  longer,  lest  some- 
thing worse  come  upon  you." 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  28l 

The  man  went  away  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was 
Jesus  who  made  him  well.  And  on  account  of  this  the 
Jews  began  to  persecute  Jesus,  because  he  was  doing 
these  things  on  a  sabbath.  But  Jesus  answered  them, 
"  My  Father  is  working  until  now,  and  I  am  working." 
So  on  account  of  this  the  Jews  kept  trying  the  more  to 
kill  him,  because  he  was  not  only  setting  men  free  on 
the  sabbath,  but  was  even  calling  God  his  own  Father, 
making  himself  equal  to  God.    So  Jesus  replied  to  them : 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you. 

The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself, 

Save  what  he  sees  the  Father  doing. 

For  whatsoever  things  He  does,  these  the  Son  also  does 

in  like  manner. 
For  the  Father  loves  the  Son, 

And  shows  him  everything  that  he  himself  is  doing ; 
And  he  will  show  him  greater  works  than  these, 
In  order  that  you  may  wonder. 
For,  just  as  the  Father  raises  up  the  dead  and  makes 

them  alive, 
So  also  the  Son  makes  alive  whom  he  wills. 
For  the  Father  does  not  even  judge  anybody, 
But  has  given  judgment  entirely  to  the  Son, 
In  order  that  all  may  honor  the  Son 
Just  as  they  honor  the  Father. 
He  that  does  not  honor  the  Son 
Does  not  honor  the  Father  that  sent  him. 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

He  that  hears  my  message  and  trusts  him  who  sent  me, 

Has  eternal  life; 

And  he  will  not  come  to  judgment, 

But  has  passed  out  of  death  into  life. 

In  very  truth  I  tell  you. 


282  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

A  time  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  will  hear 
the  voice  of  God's  Son, 

And  they  that  hear  will  live. 

For,  just  as  the  Father  has  life  in  himself, 

So  also  he  gave  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself. 

And  he  gave  him  authority  to  pronounce  judgment, 

Because  he  is  Son  of  man. 

Do  not  wonder  at  this. 

For  a  time  is  coming  when  all  who  are  in  the  tombs 
will  hear  his  voice 

And  they  will  come  forth ; 

Those  who  have  done  good  to  resurrection  of  life, 

Those  who  have  practised  evil  to  resurrection  of  con- 
demnation. 

"  I  can  do  nothing  of  myself ; 

As  I  hear  I  judge,  and  my  judgment  is  just ; 

Because  I  am  not  seeking  my  will,  but  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me. 

If  I  testify  concerning  myself,  my  testimony  is  not 
trustworthy. 

There  is  another  who  testifies  concerning  me. 

And  I  know  that  the  testimony  that  he  bears  concern- 
ing me  is  trustworthy. 

You  have  sent  to  John,  and  he  has  testified  to  the 
truth, 

Yet  I  do  not  receive  testimony  from  man. 

But  I  say  these  things  that  you  may  be  delivered. 

He  was  the  burning  and  shining  lamp. 

And  you  were  willing  to  rejoice  for  a  while  in  his  light. 

But  I  have  a  greater  testimony  than  John's, 

For  the  works  the  Father  has  given  me  to  finish — 

The  very  works  I  am  doing — 

Testify  concerning  me  that  the  Father  has  sent  me 
forth ; 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  283 

And  the  Father  that  sent  me  has  himself  testified  con- 
cerning me. 

You  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time, 

Nor  have  you  seen  his  form. 

And  you  have  not  his  word  remaining  in  you, 

Because  you  do  not  trust  him  whom  he  sent  forth. 

You  search  the  sacred  writings, 

Because  you  suppose  that  you  have  eternal  life  in 
them ; 

And  these  are  they  that  testify  concerning  me. 

Yet  you  are  not  willing  to  come  to  me  that  you  may 
have  life. 

I  do  not  receive  honor  from  men, 

But  I  know  that  you  do  not  have  the  love  of  God  in 
yourselves. 

I  have  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  you  do  not  re- 
ceive me ; 

If  another  come  in  his  own  name,  you  will  receive  him. 

How  can  you  trust,  when  you  receive  honor  from  one 
another, 

And  do  not  seek  the  honor  that  comes  from  the  only 
God? 

"  Do  not  suppose  that  I  shall  accuse  you  to  the  Father. 
There  is  one  that  accuses  you,  Moses,  on  whom  you 

have  set  your  hope. 
For  if  you  were  accustomed  to  trust  Moses,  you  would 

be  trusting  me. 
For  he  wrote  concerning  me. 
But  if  you  do  not  trust  his  writings,  how  will  you 

trust  my  words  ?  " 

The  Jews  were  therefore  wondering,  saying, 
"  How    does    this    uneducated    fellow    know   how   to 
read?" 


284  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

Jesus  answered : 

"  My  teaching  is  not  mine, 

But  that  of  him  who  sent  me. 

If  any  one  wills  to  do  his  will, 

He  will  know  concerning  the  teaching, 

Whether  it  is  of  God  or  I  speak  from  myself. 

He  that  speaks  from  himself  seeks  his  own  honor, 

But  the  man  that  seeks  the  honor  of  the  one  that  sent 

him, 
He  is  truthful,  and  there  is  no  deceit  in  him. 

"  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  law  ?  And  not  one  of  you 
observes  the  law !    Why  do  you  try  to  kill  me  ?  " 

"  You  have  a  demon,"  the  people  answered.  "  Who  is 
trying  to  kill  you  ?  " 

"  I  did  one  work  and  you  all  wonder,"  Jesus  replied. 
"  On  this  account  Moses  has  given  you  circumcision — 
not  that  it  is  of  Moses,  but  of  the  fathers — and  on  a 
sabbath  you  circumcise  a  man.  If  a  man  receives  circum- 
cision on  a  sabbath  that  the  law  of  Moses  be  not  violated, 
are  you  angry  at  me  because  I  made  an  entire  man  well 
on  a  sabbath  ?  Do  not  judge  according  to  appearance,  but 
pronounce  just  judgment." 

2.  The  Sign  of  the  Loaves  and  Fishes 

After  this  Jesus  went  away  across  the  lake  of  Galilee, 
or  Tiberias ;  and  a  great  number  of  people  followed  him, 
because  they  were  obsei"ving  the  signs  that  he  continued 
to  do  on  the  sick.  But  Jesus  went  up  into  the  mountain 
and  was  sitting  there  with  his  disciples.  Now  the  Jewish 
feast  of  the  passover  was  near.  So  Jesus,  lifting  up  his 
eyes  and  beholding  that  a  great  crowd  is  coming  to  him, 
says  to  Philip, 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  285 

"  Where  are  we  to  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ?  " 

Now  he  was  saying  this  to  test  him,  for  he  himself 
knew  what  he  was  about  to  do. 

"  Thirty  dollars'  worth  of  bread,"  Philip  answered  him, 
"  is  not  enough  for  each  of  them  to  have  a  morsel." 

One  of  his  disciples — Andrew,  the  brother  of  Simon 
Peter — says  to  him,  "  There  is  a  lad  here,  who  has  five 
barley  loaves  and  two  small  fish,  but  what  are  these  among 
so  many? " 

"  Make  the  men  recline,"  says  Jesus. 

Now  there  was  a  great  deal  of  grass  in  the  place,  so 
the  men  reclined,  about  five  thousand  in  number.  Jesus 
then  took  the  loaves,  and  after  giving  thanks  he  dis- 
tributed to  those  who  reclined ;  in  like  manner  also  of  the 
fish,  as  much  as  they  wished.  And  when  they  were 
satisfied,  he  says  to  his  disciples, 

"  Gather  together  the  pieces  remaining  over,  that  noth- 
ing be  wasted." 

So  they  gathered  them  together,  and  filled  twelve 
baskets  with  pieces  from  the  live  barley  loaves,  that 
exceeded  the  needs  of  those  who  had  eaten.  So  the  men, 
seeing  what  a  sign  he  did,  began  to  say, 

"  This  is  certainly  the  prophet  that  is  coming  into  the 
world." 

So  Jesus,  knowing  that  they  were  about  to  come  and 
seize  him,  to  make  him  king,  went  back  again  into  the 
mountain,  quite  alone.  And  when  evening  came,  his  dis- 
ciples went  down  to  the  lake,  and  embarking  in  a  boat 
were  going  across  the  lake  to  Capernaum.  And  darkness 
had  already  fallen  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  to  them, 
and  as  a  strong  wind  was  blowing  the  sea  began  to  rise. 
So  when  they  had  rowed  about  twenty-five  or  thirty 
furlongs,  they  beheld  Jesus  walking  upon  the  lake  and 
drawing  near  to  the  boat,  and  they  were  frightened.  But 
he  says  to  them, 


286  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

"  It  is  I,  do  not  be  frightened." 

So  they  became  willing  to  take  him  into  the  boat,  and 
at  once  the  boat  arrived  at  the  shore  to  which  they  were 
going. 

On  the  next  day  the  crowd  that  stood  on  the  other 
side  of  the  lake  saw  that  there  was  only  one  boat  there, 
and  that  Jesus  did  not  go  with  his  disciples  into  the 
boat,  but  his  disciples  went  away  by  themselves.  Boats 
came,  however,  from  Tiberias,  near  the  place  where  they 
ate  bread  after  the  Lord  had  given  thanks.  So  when  the 
crowd  saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there,  nor  his  disciples, 
they  themselves  embarked  in  boats  and  came  to  Caper- 
naum, looking  for  Jesus.  And  when  they  found  him 
on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  they  said  to  him, 

"  Teacher,  when  did  you  arrive  here  ?  " 

Jesus  replied : 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you. 

You  are  looking  for  me,  not  because  you  saw  signs, 

But  because  you  ate  of  the  loaves  and  were  satisfied. 

Work  not  for  the  food  that  perishes. 

But  for  the  food  that  endures  to  eternal  life. 

Which  the  Son  of  man  will  give  you. 

For  on  him  the  Father — God — ^lias  set  his  seal." 

So  they  said  to  him,  "  What  are  we  to  do  to  work 
God's  works  ?  " 

"  This  is  God's  work,"  Jesus  answered,  "  to  trust  him 
whom  he  sent." 

"What  sign  then  are  you  doing?"  they  next  asked, 
"that  we  may  know  and  trust  you?  What  are  you 
working?  Our  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilder- 
ness, as  it  is  written,  *  Bread  out  of  heaven  he  gave  them 
to  eat.' " 

So  Jesus  said  to  them : 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION  :   GOSPEL  287 

"  In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 

Moses  did  not  give  you  bread  out  of  heaven, 

But  my  Father  gives  you  the  real  bread  out  of  heaven. 

For  God's  bread  is  that  which  comes  down  out  of 

heaven 
And  gives  life  to  the  world." 

"  Sir,"  they  said  to  him,  "  give  us  always  this  bread." 
Jesus  replied : 

"  I  am  the  Bread  of  Life ; 
He  that  comes  to  me  will  by  no  means  hunger, 
And  he  that  puts  his  trust  in  me  will  never  thirst. 
But  as  I  told  you,  you  have  even  seen  me  and  yet  do 

not  trust. 
Every  one  that  the  P'ather  gives  me  will  come  to  me. 
And  him  that  comes  to  me  I  will  by  no  means  reject. 
Because  I  have  come  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  my 

own  will. 
But  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me. 
Now  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me : 
That  of  all  that  he  has  given  me  I  shall  lose  none, 
But  I  shall  raise  them  up  at  the  last  day. 
For  this  is  my  Father's  will, 
That  every  one  who  beholds  the  Son  and  puts  his  trust 

in  him,  shall  have  eternal  life, 
And  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day." 

Upon  this  the  Jews  began  to  grumble  about  him,  be- 
cause he  said,  "  I  am  the  bread  that  came  down  out  of 
heaven."    And  they  began  to  say, 

"  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and 
mother  we  know  ?  How  now  does  he  say,  '  I  have  come 
down  out  of  heaven?  '  " 

Jesus  answered: 


288  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

"  Do  not  grumble  among  yourselves. 

No  one  can  come  to  me  unless  the  Father  who  sent  me 

draw  him, 
And  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 
It  is  written  in  the  prophets, 
And  they  will  all  be  taught  by  God. 
Every  one  who  has  heard  from  the  Father  and  learned 

is  coming  to  me. 
Not  that  any  one  has  seen  the  Father,  save  him  who 

is  from  God — 
He  has  seen  the  Father. 
In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 
He  that  trusts  has  eternal  life. 
I  am  the  Bread  of  life. 

Your  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness  and  died. 
This  is  the  bread  that  comes  down  out  of  heaven, 
That  one  may  eat  of  it  and  not  die. 
I  am  the  living  Bread  that  came  down  out  of  heaven. 
If  any  one  eats  of  this  bread  he  will  live  forever; 
Yes,  and  my  flesh  is  the  bread  that  I  will  give  for  the 

sake  of  the  world's  life." 

The  Jews  then  began  to  contend  among  themselves,  say- 
ing, "  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat  ?  " 
Jesus  said  to  them: 

"  In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 

Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man 

And  drink  his  blood. 

You  have  no  life  in  yourselves. 

He  that  feeds  upon  my  flesh 

And  drinks  my  blood 

Has  eternal  life. 

And  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 

For  my  flesh  is  real  food 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  I   GOSPEL  289 

And  my  blood  is  real  drink. 

He  that  feeds  upon  my  flesh  and  drinks  my  blood 

Continues  in  me  and  I  in  him. 

Just  as  the  living  Father  sent  me  forth, 

And  I  live  because  of  the  Father, 

So  he  that  feeds  upon  me — 

He  also  will  live  because  of  me. 

This  is  the  bread  that  came  down  from  heaven; 

Not  as  the  fathers  ate  and  died — 

He  that  feeds  upon  this  bread  will  live  forever." 

He  said  these  things  while  teaching  in  the  synagogue 
in  Capernaum.  So,  many  of  his  disciples  when  they 
heard,  said, 

"  This  teaching  is  intolerable !  Who  can  listen  to 
him !  " 

Now  Jesus,  knowing  in  himself  that  his  disciples  were 
complaining  about  him,  said  to  them, 

"  Does  this  make  you  displeased  ?  What  would  you 
think  if  you  were  to  behold  the  Son  of  man  going 
back  where  he  was  before?  It  is  the  Spirit  that  makes 
alive,  the  flesh  is  worth  nothing.  The  words  that  I 
have  spoken  to  you  are  spirit  and  life,  yet  there  are 
some  of  you  that  do  not  trust  me." 

For  Jesus  was  aware  from  the  beginning  who  they 
were  that  did  not  trust,  and  who  it  was  that  would  de- 
liver him  up.    And  he  went  on  to  say, 

"  On  this  account  I  have  said  to  you,  *  No  one  can 
come  to  me  unless  it  be  given  him  from  the  Father.' " 

In  consequence  of  this  many  of  his  disciples  went 
back  and  no  longer  continued  to  walk  with  him.  So  Jesus 
said  to  the  Twelve, 

"  You  do  not  also  wish  to  go,  do  you  ?  " 

''Sir,  to  what  leader  shall  we  go?"  answered  Simon 
Peter.  "  You  have  words  of  eternal  life.  And  we  have 
T 


290  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

trusted  you,  and  know  that  you  are  the  Holy  One 
of  God." 

"  Did  I  not  choose  you,  the  Twelve,"  Jesus  replied, 
"  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil  ? " 

Now  he  was  speaking  of  Judas,  son  of  Simon  Iscariot, 
for  it  was  he  that  was  destined  to  deliver  him  up,  one  of 
the  Twelve ! 


3.  Testimony  of  Jesus  to  Himself  at  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles 

And  after  these  things  Jesus  continued  to  go  about 
Galilee;  for  he  did  not  wish  to  go  about  Judea,  because 
the  Jews  kept  trying  to  kill  him.  Now  the  feast  of  the 
Jews  was  near,  the  feast  of  making  booths.  So  his 
brothers  said  to  him, 

"  Go  away  from  here  and  go  to  Judea,  that  your  dis- 
ciples [there]  may  behold  your  works  that  you  are  doing. 
For  no  one  does  anything  in  secret  if  he  seeks  to  be  pub- 
licly recognized.  If  you  are  doing  these  things,  make 
yourself  known  to  the  world." 

For  even  his  own  brothers  had  no  confidence  in  him. 
Jesus  says  to  them, 

"  My  appointed  time  has  not  yet  arrived,  but  your 
time  is  always  at  hand.  The  world  cannot  hate  you,  but 
me  it  hates  because  I  testify  concerning  it  that  its  deeds 
are  evil.  You  go  up  to  the  feast;  I  am  not  yet  going 
up  to  this  feast,  because  my  appointed  time  has  not  yet 
been  completed." 

Having  said  these  things  to  them  he  remained  in 
Galilee.  But  when  his  brothers  had  gone  up  to  the  feast, 
then  he  also  went  up,  not  openly,  but  as  it  were  in 
secret.  Now  the  Jews  were  looking  for  him  at  the 
feast,  and  saying,  "  Where  is  that  man  ?  "  And  there  was 
much  discussion  about  him  among  the  common  people. 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  291 

Some  were  saying,  "  He  is  a  good  man."  Others  were 
saying,  "  No,  for  he  is  leading  the  people  astray !  "  No 
one,  however,  was  talking  publicly  about  him  for  fear 
of  the  Jews. 

Now  when  it  was  already  the  middle  of  the  feast, 
Jesus  went  up  into  the  Temple  and  began  to  teach. 
Some  therefore  of  the  Jerusalem  people  began  to  say, 

"  Is  not  this  the  one  they  are  trying  to  kill  ?  And  see, 
he  is  talking  publicly  and  they  are  saying  nothing  to  him ! 
Is  it  possible  the  rulers  have  really  come  to  know  that  this 
is  the  Christ?  Yet  we  know  where  this  man  is  from, 
but  when  the  Christ  comes  no  one  will  know  where  he  is 
from." 

So  Jesus  spoke  with  a  loud  voice,  teaching  in  the  Tem- 
ple and  saying: 

"  You  both  know  me,  and  you  know  where  I  am  from ; 
And  I  have  not  come  from  myself. 
But  he  that  sent  me  is  worthy  of  trust. 
You  do  not  know  him,  but  I  know  him. 
Because  I  am  from  him,  and  he  sent  me  forth." 

So  they  were  trying  to  arrest  him,  yet  no  one  laid  a 
hand  on  him,  because  his  appointed  time  had  not  yet 
come.  But  many  of  the  people  put  their  trust  in  him,  and 
some  were  saying, 

"  When  the  Christ  shall  come,  will  he  do  more  signs 
than  this  man  has  done?  " 

The  Pharisees  heard  the  people  debating  thus  about 
him,  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  sent  officers 
to  arrest  him.    Then  said  Jesus  to  them : 

"  I  am  with  you  a  little  while  longer. 
And  then  I  am  going  to  him  that  sent  me. 
You  will  look  for  me. 
And  will  not  be  able  to  come  where  I  am." 


292  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

So  the  Jews  said  to  one  another,  "  Where  is  this  man 
about  to  go,  that  we  shall  not  find  him?  He  is  not  go- 
ing to  the  Dispersion  among  the  Greeks,  is  he?  What  is 
this  saying  that  he  spoke,  '  You  will  look  for  me  and 
will  not  find  me,'  and  '  You  will  not  be  able  to  come 
where  I  am  '  ?  " 

So  he  said  to  them  again: 

"  I  am  going  away. 

And  you  will  look  for  me,  1 

And  you  will  die  in  your  sins ; 

You  will  not  be  able  to  come  where  I  am  going." 

"  Can  it  be  he  will  kill  himself  ?  "  the  Jews  therefore 
were  saying,  "  because  he  says,  '  You  will  not  be  able 
to  come  where  I  am  going.'  " 

He  continued : 

"  You  are  from  beneath, 

I  am  from  above. 

You  are  of  this  world, 

I  am  not  of  this  world. 

So  I  told  you,  '  You  will  die  in  your  sins '  ; 

For  if  you  do  not  believe  that  I  am  [the  Christ] 

You  will  die  in  your  sins." 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  then  said  to  him. 
Jesus  said  to  them: 

"  What  I  am  saying  to  you  from  the  beginning. 

I  have  many  things  to  say  and  judge  concerning  you, 

But  he  that  sent  me  is  truthful, 

And  I  tell  the  world  what  I  have  heard  from  him." 

They  did  not  know  that  he  was  speaking  to  them  of 
the  Father.    So  Jesus  said  to  them : 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  293 

"  When  you  shall  lift  up  the  Son  of  man, 

Then  you  will  know  that  I  am  he, 

And  that  I  do  nothing  on  my  own  authority. 

But  say  just  what  the  Father  taught  me. 

And  he  that  sent  me  is  with  me. 

He  has  not  left  me  alone, 

Because  I  always  do  what  pleases  him." 

And  while  he  spoke  these  things  many  put  their  trust 
in  him. 

Then  the  officers  came  to  the  chief  priests  and  Phar- 
isees, and  the  latter  said  to  them, 

"  Why  did  you  not  bring  him  ?  " 

"  No  man  ever  talked  like  this,"  the  officers  replied. 

"Are  you  also  led  astray?"  answered  the  Pharisees. 
"  Has  any  one  of  the  rulers  confidence  in  him,  or  of  the 
Pharisees?  But  these  common  people,  who  do  not  know 
the  Law,  are  under  a  curse." 

Nicodemus,  one  of  their  number,  says  to  them,  "  Does 
our  law  judge  the  man,  unless  it  first  hear  from  him  and 
know  what  he  is  doing?  " 

"  You  also  are  of  Galilee,  are  you  ?  "  they  answered. 
"  Search  and  see,  that  [the]  Prophet  does  not  come  out 
of  Galilee." 

Now  on  the  last  day,  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  spoke  with  a  loud  voice,  saying: 

"  If  any  one  thirst,  let  him  come  to  me  and  drink. 
As  the  Scripture  said,  rivers  of  living  water  will  flow 
from  the  heart  of  him  that  trusts  in  me." 

Now  he  said  this  concerning  the  Spirit  which  those 
that  trusted  in  him  were  about  to  receive.  For  the  Spirit 
had  not  yet  been  given,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  exalted. 
So  some  of  the  people  hearing  these  words,  were  say- 


294  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

ing,  "  This  is  certainly  the  prophet."  Others  were  saying, 
"  This  is  the  Christ."  But  some  were  saying,  "  Does 
the  Christ  then  come  out  of  GaHlee?  Has  not  the  Scrip- 
ture said  that  the  Christ  comes  of  the  seed  of  David, 
and  from  the  village  of  Bethlehem,  where  David  was?" 
So  a  division  came  about  among  the  people  on  account  of 
him.  And  some  of  them  were  wishing  to  arrest  him,  but 
no  one  laid  hands  on  him. 

Then  Jesus  went  on  to  speak  to  those  Jews  that  had 
trusted  in  him : 

"If  you  continue  in  my  teaching, 
You  are  really  my  disciples, 
And  you  will  know  the  truth, 
And  the  truth  will  make  you  free." 

"  We  are  descendants  of  Abraham,"  they  replied  to 
him,  '  and  have  never  been  in  slavery  to  any  one.  How 
do  you  say,  '  You  will  become  freemen  '  ?  " 

Jesus  answered  them: 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you. 

Every  one  that  commits  sin  is  a  slave. 

Now  the  slave  does  not  always  remain  m  the  house. 

But  the  son  remains  always. 

So  if  the  Son  sets  you  free,  you  will  be  freemen  in- 
deed! 

I  know  that  you  are  descendants  of  Abraham, 

But  you  are  trying  to  kill  me 

Because  my  teaching  has  no  place  in  you. 

I  speak  what  I  have  seen  with  the  Father, 

And  you  too  do  what  you  have  heard  from  your 
father." 

"  Our  father  is  Abraham,"  they  answered. 
Jesus  says: 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  295 

"If  you  were  Abraham's  children. 
You  would  do  Abraham's  works. 
But  as  it  is,  you  are  trying  to  kill  me, 
A  man  who  has  told  you  the  truth, 
Which  I  heard  from  God. 
Abraham  did  not  do  this. 
You  do  the  works  of  your  father." 

"  We  were  not  born  of  adultery,"  they  said;  "  We  have 
one  Father,  God." 
Jesus  said  to  them: 

"  If  God  were  your  Father,  you  would  love  me. 

For  I  came  forth  from  God  and  am  here; 

For  I  have  not  come  from  myself  at  all. 

But  he  sent  me  forth. 

Why  do  you  not  understand  my  mode  of  speech? 

Because  you  cannot  yield  obedience  to  my  teaching. 

You  are  of  your  father,  the  devil, 

And  you  will  do  your  father's  desires. 

He  was  a  murderer  from  the  first, 

And  does  not  stand  in  the  realm  of  truth, 

Because  truth  is  not  in  him. 

When  he  speaks  a  lie,  he  speaks  his  own, 

Because  he  is  a  liar  and  the  father  of  lying.* 

But  because  I  speak  the  truth  you  do  not  trust  me. 

Who  of  you  convicts  me  of  sin? 

If  I  speak  truth  why  do  you  not  trust  me? 

He  that  is  of  God  hears  God's  words. 

You  do  not  hear  for  this  reason : 

You  are  not  of  God." 

The  Jews  replied  to  him,  "  Do  we  not  say  well  that  you 
are  a  Samaritan  and  have  a  demon  ?  " 

*  This   may   also  be   rendered:    "When    one   speaks   falsehood,    he   spealcs 
from  that  which  belongs  to  him,  because  his  father  is  also  a  liar." — Tr. 


296  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

Jesus  answered: 

"  I  have  not  a  demon, 
But  I  honor  my  Father 
And  you  dishonor  me. 
Yet  I  do  not  seek  my  honor; 
There  is  One  that  seeks  it,  and  he  is  judge. 
In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

If  any  one  obeys  my  teaching  he  will  never  behold 
death." 

"  Now  we  know  that  you  have  a  demon,"  the  Jews 
said  to  him ;  "  Abraham  died,  and  the  prophets,  and  you 
say,  '  If  any  one  obeys  my  teaching  he  will  never  taste 
death.'  You  are  not  greater  than  our  father  Abraham, 
who  died,  are  you?  And  the  prophets  died — Whom 
are  you  making  yourself  ?  " 

Jesus  replied : 

"  If  I  shall  honor  myself, 

My  honor  is  nothing. 

It  is  my  Father  that  honors  me. 

Of  whom  you  say  that  he  is  your  God; 

And  you  do  not  know  him, 

But  I  know  him. 

And  if  I  say  that  I  do  not  know  him 

I  shall  be  like  you — a  liar. 

But  I  do  know  him  and  obey  his  teaching. 

Abraham,  your  father,  rejoiced  to  see  my  day. 

And  he  saw  and  was  glad." 

Then  said  the  Jews  to  him,  "  You  are  not  yet  fifty  years 
old,  and  have  you  seen  Abraham  ?  " 
Jesus  said  to  them: 

"  In  very  truth  I  tell  you. 
Before  Abraham  was  born,  I  am." 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  29/ 

Then  they  took  stones  to  throw  at  him,  but  Jesus  hid 
and  went  away  from  the  Temple. 

4.  The  Sign  of  the  Man  Born  Blind,  and  the 
Discourse  Following 

And  passing  along  he  saw  a  man  blind  from  birth. 
And  his  disciples  asked  him, 

"  Teacher,  who  sinned,  this  man  or  his  parents,  that 
he  should  be  born  blind  ?  " 

Jesus  replied: 

**  Neither  this  man  nor  his  parents  sinned, 

But  [he  was  born  blind]  that  the  works  of  God  might 

be  made  evident  in  him. 
We  must  do  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 

day; 
Night  is  coming,  when  no  one  can  work. 
When  I  am  in  the  world  I  am  the  world's  light." 

Saying  this,  he  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay  of 
the  spittle,  and  put  the  clay  on  the  man's  eyes  and  said  to 
him, 

"  Go  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam "  (which  means 
IMessenger).  So  he  went  away  and  washed  and  came 
seeing.  Thereupon  the  neighbors  and  those  who  had 
formerly  known  him  by  sight  as  a  beggar,  began  to  say, 

"  Is  not  this  the  man  who  sits  and  begs  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  man !  "  said  some. 

"  No !  "  said  others,  "  but  he  is  like  him." 

"  I  am  the  man,"  he  said. 

So  they  went  on  to  say  to  him,  "  Then  how  were  your 
eyes  opened?  " 

"  The  man  called  Jesus,"  he  replied,  "  made  clay  and 
anointed  my  eyes  and  said  to  me,  *  Go  to  Siloam  and 
wash.'    So  I  went  away  and  washed  and  received  sight." 


298  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  they  asked. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  he  said. 

They  bring  him — the  man  formerly  bHnd — to  the  Phar- 
isees. Now  it  was  a  sabbath  on  the  day  when  Jesus  made 
the  clay  and  opened  his  eyes.  So  the  Pharisees  also 
asked  him  again  how  he  received  his  sight,  and  he  said  to 
them, 

"  He  put  clay  on  my  eyes,  and  I  washed  and  I  see." 

"  This  man  is  not  from  God,"  some  of  the  Pharisees 
then  began  to  say,  "  because  he  does  not  observe  the 
Sabbath." 

"  How  can  a  sinful  man  do  such  signs  ?  "  others  were 
saying.  And  there  was  division  among  them.  So  they 
say  again  to  the  blind  man, 

"  What  do  you  say  about  him  ?  For  he  opened  your 
eyes." 

"  He  is  a  prophet,"  said  he. 

Yet  the  Jews  did  not  believe  about  him,  that  he  had 
been  blind  and  received  sight,  until  they  called  the  parents 
of  him  that  had  received  sight.    And  they  asked  them, 

"  Is  this  your  son,  who  you  say  was  born  blind? 
Then  how  does  he  now  see  ?  " 

"  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,"  replied  his  parents, 
"  and  that  he  was  born  blind ;  but  how  he  now  sees  we 
do  not  know.  Ask  him,  he  is  of  age,  he  will  speak  for 
himself." 

His  parents  said  this  because  they  were  afraid  of  the 
Jews,  for  already  the  Jews  had  agreed  that  if  any  one 
should  acknowledge  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  he  should 
be  expelled  from  the  synagogue.  Consequently  his 
parents  said,  "  He  is  of  age,  question  him." 

So  they  called  a  second  time  the  man  who  had  been 
blind,  and  said  to  him, 

"  Give  praise  to  God ;  we  know  that  this  man  is 
wicked.'* 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  299 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  he  is  a  wicked  man  or  not," 
he  repHed ;  "  one  thing  I  do  know :  though  I  was  blind, 
I  see  now.'' 

"  What  did  he  do  to  you?"  they  said;  ''how  did  he 
open  your  eyes  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  once,  and  you  did  not  listen,"  he  answered ; 
"why  do  you  wish  to  hear  it  again?  You  do  not  also 
wish  to  become  his  disciples,  do  you?" 

And  they  heaped  abuse  on  him  and  said,  "  You  are  his 
disciple,  but  we  are  Moses's  disciples.  We  know  that 
God  has  spoken  to  Moses,  but  we  do  not  know  where 
this  man  comes  from." 

"  Why,  here  is  a  marvelous  thing,"  the  man  answered, 
"  that  you  do  not  know  where  he  comes  from,  and  he 
opened  my  eyes !  We  know  that  God  does  not  hear 
wicked  men,  but  if  one  is  a  worshiper  of  God  and  does 
his  will,  he  hears  him.  Since  the  world  began,  no  one 
ever  heard  of  one's  opening  the  eyes  of  one  born 
blind.  If  this  man  was  not  from  God,  he  could  do 
nothing." 

"  You  were  wholly  born  in  sins,"  they  replied,  "  and 
are  you  teaching  usF  "    And  they  expelled  him. 

Jesus  heard  that  they  had  expelled  him,  and  found  him 
and  said, 

"Do  you  put  your  trust  in  the  Son  of  man?" 

"  And  who  is  he,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  that  I  may  trust 
in  him?  " 

"  You  have  both  seen  him,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  it  is  he 
that  is  talking  with  you." 

"  I  trust,  sir,"  he  said  and  bowed  low  before  him. 

And  Jesus  said : 

"  I  came  into  tTiis  world  for  its  condemnation. 
That  those  who  do  not  see  may  see, 
And  those  who  do  see  may  become  blind." 


300  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

The  Pharisees  who  were  with  him  heard  this  and  said 
to  him,  "  We  are  not  Wind  too,  are  we  ? " 
Jesus  said  to  them: 

"  If  you  were  blind,  you  would  have  no  sin; 
But  as  it  is  you  say,  '  We  see,' 
And  so  your  sin  remains." 

Division  again  took  place  among  the  Jews  in  conse- 
quence of  these  teachings;  and  many  of  them  were  saying, 

"  He  has  a  demon  and  is  crazy ;  why  do  you  listen  to 
him?" 

"  These  are  not  the  teachings  of  a  demoniac,"  others 
were  saying;  "  a  demon  cannot  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind, 
can  he  ? " 

So  Jesus  spoke  to  them  again,  saying : 

"  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world ; 

He  that  follows  me  will  not  walk  at  all  in  the  dark 

But  will  have  the  light  of  life." 

The  Pharisees  therefore  said  to  him,  "  You  testify  in 
your  own  behalf ;  your  testimony  is  not  trustworthy." 
Jesus  answered : 

"  Even  if  I  do  testify  in  my  own  behalf, 

My  testimony  is  trustworthy, 

Because  I  know  where  I  came  from  and  where  I  am 

going. 
But  you  do  not  know  where  I  came  from  or  where  I 

am  going. 
You  judge  according  to  the  flesh, 
I  judge  no  one. 

Yet  even  if  I  judge,  my  judgment  is  trustworthy. 
Because  I  am  not  alone, 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  3OI 

But  I  and  he  that  sent  me  [judge]. 
And  in  your  law  it  is  also  written. 
The  testimony  of  tzvo  men  is  trustzvorthy. 
I  am  he  that  testifies  concerning  myself, 
And  the  Father  that  sent  me  also  testifies  concern- 
ing me." 

"  Where  is  your  Father?  "  they  therefore  said  to  him. 
Jesus  replied : 

"  You  know  neither  me  nor  my  Father. 

If  you  were  acquainted  with  me, 

You  would  be  acquainted  with  my  Father  also." 

He  said  these  things  in  the  Treasury,  while  teaching  in 
the  Temple;  and  no  one  arrested  him,  because  his  ap- 
pointed time  had  not  yet  come. 

5.  Jesus  Again  Testifies  to  Himself  in  the  Temple 

The  feast  of  Dedication  occurred  soon  after  this  in 
Jerusalem.  It  was  winter,  and  Jesus  was  walking  in  the 
Temple,  in  Solomon's  porch.  So  the  Jews  came  about 
him,  and  began  to  say  to  him, 

"  How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  us  in  suspense?  If 
you  are  the  Christ  tell  us  frankly." 

Jesus  answered : 

"  I  told  you  and  you  do  not  believe  me. 

The  works  that  I  am  doing  in  my  Father's  name — 

These  testify  in  my  behalf ;  yet  you  do  not  believe  me, 

Because  you  are  not  of  my  sheep. 

My  sheep  know  my  voice. 

And  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me, 

And  I  give  them  eternal  life, 

And  they  will  not  be  lost,  no,  never ! 


302  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

And  no  one  will  snatch  them  out  of  my  hand. 

My  Father  who  has  given  them  to  me  is  greater  than  all, 

And  no  one  can  snatch  them  out  of  my  Father's  hands. 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

He  that  does  not  enter  through  the  door  into  the  sheep- 
fold, 

But  climbs  up  some  other  way — 

That  man  is  a  thief  and  robber ; 

But  he  that  enters  through  the  door  is  shepherd  of  the 
sheep. 

The  doorkeeper  opens  to  him 

And  the  sheep  obey  his  voice, 

And  he  calls  his  own  sheep  by  name  and  leads  them 
out. 

When  he  has  brought  out  all  his  own  sheep. 

He  walks  in  front  of  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him. 

Because  they  recognize  his  voice. 

But  they  will  not  follow  a  stranger  at  all, 

But  will  run  away  from  him. 

Because  they  do  not  recognize  the  voice  of  strangers." 

This  allegory  Jesus  spoke  to  them,  but  they  did  not  un- 
derstand what  he  said  to  them.    So  Jesus  spoke  again : 

"  In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 
I  am  the  Door  of  the  sheep. 
All  that  came  before  me  are  thieves  and  robbers, 
But  the  sheep  did  not  obey  them. 
I  am  the  Door ; 

If  any  one  enter  through  me  he  will  be  kept  safe. 
And  will  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture. 
The  thief  comes  only  to  steal  and  kill  and  destroy; 
I  came  that  they  may  have  life  and  may  have  it  abun- 
dantly. 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION:   GOSPEL  303 

"  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd ; 

The  Good  Shepherd  lays  down  his  life  for  the  sake  of 

the  sheep. 
He  that  is  a  hired  man  and  not  the  shepherd, 
Who  does  not  own  the  sheep, 
Sees  the  wolf  coming,  and  leaves  the  sheep  and  runs 

away — 
And  the  wolf  makes  them  his  prey  and  scatters  them — 
Because  he  is  a  hired  man  and  cares  nothing  for  the 

sheep. 

"  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd, 

And  I  know  my  own  and  my  own  know  me, 

Just  as  the  Father  knows  me  and  I  know  the  Father, 

And  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sake  of  the  sheep. 

And  I  have  other  sheep  that  are  not  of  this  fold ; 

I  must  lead  them  also,  and  they  will  obey  my  voice, 

And  they  will  become  one  flock  [with]  one  shepherd. 

The  Father  loves  me  for  this  reason : 

That  T  lay  down  my  life  to  receive  it  again. 

No  one  takes  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  my  own 

accord. 
I  have  authority  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  authority  to 

receive  it  again. 
I  received  this  command  from  my  Father. 
My  Father  and  I  are  one." 

The  Jews  again  took  up  stones  to  stone  him.  Jesus  said 
to  them, 

"  I  have  shown  you  many  good  works  from  the  Father ; 
For  which  of  them  are  you  stoning  me  ?  " 

"  We  are  not  stoning  you  for  a  good  work,"  the  Jews 
answered  him,  "  but  for  blasphemy,  because  you,  though 
only  a  man,  are  representing  yourself  to  be  God." 


304  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Jesus  answered  them: 

"  Is  it  not  written  in  your  Law, 

/  said,  You  are  gods? 

If  God  called  them  gods  to  whom  the  word  of  God 

came — 
And  the  Scripture  cannot  be  annulled — 
Do  you  say  '  You  blaspheme '  of  him  whom  the  Father 

loved  and  sent  forth  into  the  world, 
Because  I  said,  '  I  am  God's  Son  '  ?  * 

If  I  am  not  doing  my  Father's  works,  do  not  believe 

me; 
But  if  I  am  doing  them,  even  if  you  will  not  believe 

me,  believe  the  works, 
In  order  that  you  may  know  and  understand  that  the 

Father  is  in  me, 
'And  I  am  in  the  Father." 

So  again  they  were  attempting  to  arrest  him,  but  he 
went  forth  out  of  their  hands.  And  he  went  away  again 
across  the  Jordan,  to  the  place  where  John  was  at  first  im- 
mersing, and  remained  there.  And  many  came  to  him  and 
were  saying, 

"  John  indeed  did  no  sign,  but  everything  that  John 
said  about  this  man  was  true." 

And  many  there  put  their  trust  in  him. 

6.  The  Sign  of  the  Raising  of  Lazarus  and  What 
Followed 

Now  a  certain  man  was  ill,  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  the 
village  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.^  So  the  sisters 
sent  a  messenger  to  him  saying, 

"  Sir,  behold  he  whom  you  love  is  ill." 

'  Now  it  was  the  Mary  that  anointed  the  Lord  with  pomade,  and  wiped  off 
his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  ill. 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  305 

Now  Jesus  hearing  this  said,  "  This  illness  is  not  unto 
death,  but  for  God's  honor,  that  God's  Son  may  be 
honored  through  it.'' 

Now  Jesus  loved  Alartha  and  her  sister  and  Lazarus. 
So  when  he  heard  that  he  was  ill,  he  still  remained  where 
he  was  for  two  days;  then  after  this  he  says  to  his 
disciples,  ''  Let  us  go  into  Judea  again." 

"  Teacher,"  his  disciples  say  to  him,  "  the  Jews  were 
just  now  trying  to  stone  you,  and  are  you  going  there 
again?" 

Jesus  repHed: 

"  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day  ? 

If  any  one  goes  about  in  the  daytime,  he  does  not 

stumble. 
Because  he  sees  this  world's  light. 
But  if  any  one  goes  about  in  the  night  he  stumbles, 
Because  the  light  is  not  in  him." 

He  said  these  things,  and  afterward  told  them, 

"  Lazarus,  our  friend,  has  fallen  asleep,  but  I  am  going 
to  wake  him  up." 

"  Sir,  if  he  has  fallen  asleep  he  will  get  well,"  said  the 
disciples  to  him. 

Now  Jesus  had  spoken  concerning  his  death,  but  they 
supposed  that  he  was  talking  about  taking  rest  in  sleep. 
So  then  Jesus  said  plainly  to  them, 

"  Lazarus  is  dead ;  and  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that 
I  was  not  there,  in  order  that  you  may  believe.  Come 
now,  let  us  go  to  him." 

Then  said  Thomas  (called  the  Twin)  to  his  fellow  dis- 
ciples, "  Let  us  go  too,  to  die  with  him." 

Jesus  then  came  and  found  that  Lazarus  had  already 
been  four  days  in  the  tomb.     Now  Bethany  was  near 

Jerusalem,  about  two  miles  away.    Accordingly,  many  of 
u 


306  THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha  and  ]\Iary,  to  console  them 
about  their  brother.  So  when  Martha  heard  that  Jesus 
was  coming,  she  went  to  meet  him,  but  Mary  remained  sit- 
ting in  the  house.    Then  Martha  said  to  Jesus, 

"  Sir,  if  you  had  been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have 
died.  Even  now  I  know  that  whatever  you  ask  God,  God 
will  give  you." 

"  Your  brother  will  rise  again,"  Jesus  says  to  her. 

"  I  know,"  says  Martha,  "  that  he  will  rise  in  the  resur- 
rection -at  the  last  day." 

"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  Jesus  said  to  her; 
"  he  that  puts  his  trust  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  will 
live,  and  every  one  that  lives  and  trusts  in  me  will  not  die, 
no,  never!    Do  you  believe  this?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  says  to  him,  "  I  have  believed  that  you 
are  the  Christ,  God's  Son,  he  who  was  to  come  into  the 
world." 

And  having  said  this  she  went  away  and  called  her  sis- 
ter Mary,  saying  privately, 

"  The  Teacher  is  here  and  is  asking  for  you." 

So  when  she  heard  this  she  rose  quickly  and  went  to 
meet  him.  Now  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  into  the  village, 
but  was  still  in  the  place  where  Martha  had  met  him. 
Then  the  Jews  who  were  with  her  in  the  house  and  con- 
soling her,  seeing  Mary  rise  up  quickly  and  go  out,  fol- 
lowed her,  supposing  that  she  was  going  to  the  tomb 
to  weep  there.  So  Mary,  when  she  came  where  Jesus 
was  and  saw  him,  fell  at  his  feet  saying  to  him, 

"  Sir,  if  you  had  been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have 
died." 

Then  Jesus,  when  he  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews 
accompanying  her  weeping,  became  very  indignant  in 
spirit  and  was  much  distressed,  and  said, 

"  Where  have  you  laid  him?  " 

"  Come  and  see,  sir,"  they  say  to  him. 


A   NEW   TRANSLATIOX:   GOSPEL  307 

Jesus  wept.    So  the  Jews  were  saying, 

"  See,  how  he  used  to  love  him !  " 

"  Could  not  this  man,"  said  some  of  them,  "  who 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  have  caused  this  man 
also  not  to  die  ?  " 

So  Jesus,  again  very  indignant  within  himself,  comes 
to  the  tomb.  Now  it  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  was  lying 
upon  it.    Jesus  says, 

"  Take  away  the  stone." 

The  sister  of  him  that  had  died,  Alartha,  said, 

"  Sir,  by  now  the  odor  is  offensive,  for  he  has  been 
four  days  in  the  tomb," 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you,"  says  Jesus  to  her,  "  that  if  you 
would  trust  me  you  should  see  God's  glory  ? " 

So  they  took  away  the  stone.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  said, 

"  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard  me,  but  I 
knew  that  thou  always  hearest  me ;  yet  because  of  the 
people  standing  about  I  said  this,  that  they  might  believe 
that  thou  hast  sent  me  forth." 

And  having  said  this,  he  called  in  a  loud  voice, 

"  Lazarus,  come  forth." 

He  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot 
with  swathings;  and  his  face  had  been  bound  up  with  a 
handkerchief.    Jesus  says  to  them, 

"  Release  him  and  let  him  go." 

Then  many  of  the  Jews  who  came  to  ]Mary  and  beheld 
what  he  did,  put  their  trust  in  him,  but  certain  of  them 
went  away  to  the  Pharisees  and  told  them  what  Jesus  did. 
So  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  assembled  a  Sanhedrin 
and  began  to  say, 

"  What  are  we  to  do,  seeing  that  this  man  is  doing  so 
many  signs?  If  we  let  him  alone  so,  all  will  trust  in  him, 
and  the  Romans  will  come  and  take  away  from  us  both 
our  power  and  our  [existence  as  a]  nation." 


308  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

But  a  certain  one  of  their  number,  Caiaphas,  being  high 
priest  that  year,  said  to  them, 

"  You  do  not  understand  the  matter  at  all,  nor  consider 
that  it  is  better  for  you  that  one  man  should  die  in  behalf 
of  the  people  than  the  whole  nation  should  perish." 

Now  he  did  not  say  this  of  his  own  accord,  but  since  he 
was  high  priest  of  that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus  was 
about  to  die  in  behalf  of  the  nation,  and  not  in  behalf 
of  the  nation  alone,  but  that  he  might  assemble  in  one 
[body]  God's  widely  scattered  children.  So  from  that 
day  they  determined  to  kill  him.  Jesus  therefore  no 
longer  continued  to  go  about  among  the  Jews,  but  went 
away  from  there  into  the  region  near  the  wilderness,  to 
a  town  called  Ephraim,  and  he  stayed  there  awhile  with 
his  disciples. 

7.  The  Crowning  Testimony  of  Jesus  to  Himself — 
He  Publicly  Assumes  the  Title  of  Messiah 

Now  the  Jews'  passover  was  at  hand,  and  many  went 
up  out  of  the  country  to  Jerusalem  before  the  passover, 
to  purify  themselves.  So  they  were  looking  for  Jesus 
and  saying  to  one  another  as  they  stood  in  the  Temple, 

"  What  do  you  think  ?  that  he  will  not  come  to  the 
feast  at  all  ? " 

Now  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  had  given  orders 
that  if  any  one  knew  where  he  was,  he  should  make  it 
known,  in  order  that  they  might  arrest  him.  Accordingly, 
six  da3's  before  the  passover  Jesus  came  to  Bethany, 
where  Lazarus  was,  whom  Jesus  raised  from  the  dead. 
So  they  made  him  a  supper  there  and  Martha  was  serv- 
ing, but  Lazarus  was  one  of  those  who  reclined  at  table 
with  him.  Then  Mary,  taking  a  pound  of  pomade  of 
pure  spikenard,  very  costly,  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus 
and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair,  and  the  house  was 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION  :   GOSPEL  309 

filled  with  the  odor  of  the  pomade.  Judas  Iscariot,  one 
of  his  disciples,  the  one  who  was  about  to  deliver  him 
up,  says, 

*'  Why  was  not  this  pomade  sold  for  forty-five  dollars, 
and  the  money  given  to  the  poor  ?  " 

Now  he  said  this,  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor, 
but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  as  he  had  the  purse, 
used  to  pilfer  what  was  put  in  it. 

"  Let  her  alone,"  said  Jesus  then,  "  that  she  may  keep 
it  until  the  day  of  my  burial ;  for  the  poor  you  have 
always  with  you,  but  me  you  have  not  always." 

Now  the  great  multitude  of  the  Jews  knew  that  he 
was  there,  and  they  came,  not  on  account  of  Jesus  alone, 
but  also  to  see  Lazarus  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead. 
So  the  chief  priests  determined  to  kill  Lazarus  also,  be- 
cause on  his  account  many  of  the  Jews  left  them  and  were 
trusting  in  Jesus. 

On  the  following  day  the  great  crowd  that  had  come  to 
the  feast,  hearing  that  Jesus  was  coming  into  Jerusalem, 
took  palm-branches  and  went  out  to  meet  him.  And 
they  shouted  repeatedly, 

God  save  him! 

Blessed  is  he  that  is  coming  in  Jehovah's  name. 

And  Israel's  King! 

So  Jesus,  having  found  an  ass,  sat  upon  it,  as  it  is  written 

Do  not  fear,  Zion's  daughter, 
See,  your  King  is  coming 
Seated  on  an  ass's  colt! 

His  disciples  did  not  understand  these  things  at  first, 
but  when  Jesus  was  exalted,  then  they  remembered  that 
these  things  had  been  written  about  him  and  that  they 


310  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

did  these  things  to  him.  Then  the  crowd  that  was  with 
him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb  and  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  continued  to  testify.  Therefore 
the  crowd  went  to  meet  him,  because  they  heard  that 
he  had  done  this  sign.  So  the  Pharisees  said  among 
themselves, 

"  You  see  that  you  are  efTecting  nothing !  See,  all  the 
world  has  gone  ofif  after  him." 

Now  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  those  who  were 
going  up  to  worship  during  the  feast.  So  these  came 
to  Philip  (the  one  from  Bethsaida  in  Gahlee)  and  began 
to  question  him,  saying, 

"  Sir,  we  wish  to  see  Jesus." 

Philip  comes  and  tells  Andrew;  Andrew  and  Philip 
come  and  tell  Jesus,    But  Jesus  replies  to  them : 

"  The  time  has  come  for  the  Son  of  man  to  be  honored. 

In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

Unless  the  kernel  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and 

die,  it  remains  single ; 
But  if  it  dies,  it  bears  much  fruit. 
He  that  loves  his  life  loses  it. 
And  he  that  hates  his  life  in  this  world  will  preserve 

it  unto  eternal  life. 
If  any  one  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me. 
And  where  I  am  there  my  servant  also  will  be. 
If  any  one  serve  me,  my  Father  will  honor  him. 
Now  my  soul  has  been  made  anxious,  and  what  shall 

I  say? 
'  Father,  deliver  me  from  this  hour? ' 
But  for  this  I  came  to  this  hour. 
I  will  say, '  Father,  honor  thy  name.'  " 

Then  a  voice  came  out  of  heaven,  "  I  have  both  honored 

it  and  will  honor  it  again." 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  311 

The  crowd  that  stood  by  and  heard   began  to   say 
there  had  been  a  thunderclap.    Others  were  saying, 
"  An  angel  has  spoken  to  him." 
Jesus  said : 

"  This  voice  has  not  come  for  my  sake,  but  for  yours. 
Now  this  world's  condemnation  is  taking  place, 
Now  this  world's  ruler  will  be  driven  out. 
And  I,  if  I  am  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  win  to 
myself  all  men." 

Now  in  saying  this  he  was  signifying  by  what  sort  of 
death  he  was  destined  to  die. 

"  We  have  heard  out  of  the  Law,"  the  crowd  answered 
him,  "  that  the  Christ  continues  forever,  and  how  do 
you  say  that  the  Son  of  man  must  be  lifted  up?  Who 
is  this  Son  of  man?  " 

Jesus  replied: 

"  The  light  is  among  you  a  little  while  longer ; 

Walk  while  you  have  the  light. 

That  the  darkness  may  not  overtake  you. 

And  Ke  that  walks  in  the  darkness  does  not  know 

where  he  is  going. 
While  you  have  the  light,  trust  in  the  light. 
That  you  may  become  sons  of  the  light." 

Jesus  said  these  things,  and  went  away  and  hid  himself 
from  them.  But  though  he  had  given  such  proofs  of 
his  mission  in  their  presence,  they  were  not  trusting  in 
him,  that  the  saying  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  might  be  ful- 
filled, when  he  said, 

Jehovah,  who  has  believed  our  preaching, 
And  the  arm  of  Jehovah,  to  zuhom  has  it  been  made 
bare? 


312  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

They  could  not  believe  for  this  reason,  as  Isaiah  again 
says, 

He  has  blinded  their  eyes,  and  hardened  their  heart; 
That  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  and  under- 
stand with  their  heart, 
And  turn,  and  I  should  heal  them. 

Isaiah  said  this  because  he  saw  his  glory  and  spoke  of 
him.  Nevertheless,  many  of  the  rulers  trusted  in  him, 
yet  on  account  of  the  Pharisees  they  were  not  confess- 
ing, lest  they  should  be  expelled  from  the  synagogues, 
for  they  loved  men's  honor  more  than  God's.  But  Jesus 
had  proclaimed  publicly : 

"  He  that  trusts  me  does  not  merely  trust  me. 

But  him  that  sent  me. 

And  he  that  beholds  me  beholds  him  that  sent  me. 

I  have  come  as  Light  into  this  world, 

That  no  one  that  trusts  in  me  should  remain  in  the 

darkness. 
And  if  any  one  hears  my  teaching  and  does  not  cherish 

it,  I  do  not  judge  him, 
For  I  did  not  come  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  deliver 

the  world. 
He  that  rejects  me  and  does  not  receive  my  teaching, 

has  one  that  judges  him — 
The  instruction  that   I   have  given,   that  will  judge 

him  in  the  last  day. 
Because  I  have  not  taught  on  my  own  authority. 
But  the  Father  that  sent  me  himself  charged  me  what 

to  say  and  teach. 
And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is  eternal  life. 
So  I  teach  exactly  what  the  Father  has  told  me." 


A   NEW   TR^\NSLATION  :   GOSPEL  3I3 

III.  SIGNS  AND  TESTIAIONIES  OF  THE  LAST  DAYS 

I.  The  Last  Supper 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover  Jesus  knew  that 
the  time  had  come  for  him  to  depart  out  of  this  world 
to  the  Father.  Having  loved  his  own  who  were  in  the 
world,  he  loved  them  to  the  end.  And  since  the  devil 
had  already  put  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot  [the  plan] 
to  deliver  him  up,  and  he  knew  that  the  Father  had 
given  all  things  into  his  hands,  while  they  were  eating 
supper  he  rose  from  the  table  and,  laying  aside  his  tunic, 
he  took  a  towel  and  tied  it  about  himself.  Then  he 
poured  water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  that 
was  tied  about  him.  So  he  came  to  Simon  Peter,  and  the 
latter  says  to  him, 

"  Master,  are  you  going  to  wash  my  feet  ?  " 

"  What  I  am  doing,"  Jesus  replied  to  him,  "  you  do  not 
understand  at  present,  but  you  will  learn  later." 

"  You  shall  not  wash  my  feet,  no,  never !  "  Peter  says 
to  him. 

"  Unless  I  wash  you,"  Jesus  answered  him,  "  you  have 
no  fellowship  with  me." 

"  Not  my  feet  alone.  Master,  but  hands  and  head  also  !  " 
said  Peter. 

"  He  that  has  bathed,"  says  Jesus  to  him,  "  needs  to 
wash  his  feet  only ;  then  he  is  entirely  clean.  And  you 
are  clean,  but  not  all." 

For  he  knew  the  one  who  was  to  deliver  him  up ;  there- 
fore he  said,  "  You  are  not  all  clean."  So  when  he  had 
washed  their  feet,  and  put  on  his  tunic  and  reclined  again, 
he  said  to  them: 

"  Do  you  understand  what  I  have  done  to  you  ? 
You  call  me  '  The  Teacher  '  and  '  The  Master' 


314  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  you  speak  properly,  for  I  am  these. 

If  I  then,  the  Teacher  and  Master,  have  washed  your 

feet, 
You  also  ought  to  wash  each  others'  feet; 
For  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
That  you  may  do  just  as  I  have  done  to  you. 
In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 
A  slave  is  not  greater  than  his  master, 
Nor  is  a  messenger  greater  than  he  that  sends  him. 
If  you  know  these  things,  happy  are  you  if  you  do 

them. 
I  am  not  speaking  about  all  of  you — 
I  know  whom  I  have  chosen — 
But  this  is  to  fulfil  the  Scripture, 
He  that  eats  my  bread  has  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me. 
I  tell  you  this  now,  before  it  takes  place. 
In  order  that  when  it  takes  place  you  may  believe  that 

I  am  [the  Christ]. 
In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 

He  that  receives  any  one  that  I  send  receives  me. 
And  he  that  receives  me  receives  him  that  sent  me." 

When  he  had  said  this,  Jesus  was  troubled  in  spirit  and 
testified  and  said,  "  In  very  truth  I  tell  )'^ou,  that  one  of 
you  will  deliver  me  up." 

The  disciples  looked  at  each  other,  wondering  of  whom 
he  was  speaking.  There  was  reclining  next  to  Jesus  one 
of  his  disciples  whom  Jesus  loved ;  so  Simon  Peter  nods 
to  him  and  says, 

"  Ask  who  it  is  that  he  is  talking  about." 

He,  leaning  back  consequently  upon  Jesus'  breast,  says 
to  him,  "  Master,  who  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  he  for  whom  I  shall  dip  the  morsel  of  bread 
and  give  it  to  him,'  replied  Jesus.  So,  dipping  the 
morsel,  he  takes  it  and  gives  it  to  Judas  Iscariot.    And 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  315 

then,  after  receiving  the  morsel,  Satan  entered  into  him. 
So  Jesus  says  to  him, 

*'  Do  quickly  what  you  are  going  to  do." 
Now  none  of  those  at  table  understood  why  he  said 
this  to  him ;  for  some  supposed  that,  since  Judas  had  the 
purse,  Jesus  was  saying  to  him,  "  Buy  what  things  we 
need  for  the  feast,"  or,  "  Give  something  to  the  poor." 
When  he  received  the  morsel  therefore,  he  went  out  at 
once,  and  it  was  night. 

2.  Last  Discourses — Union  With  Christ 
So  when  he  had  gone  out,  Jesus  says : 

"  I  am  the  true  Vine, 

And  my  Father  is  the  gardener. 

He  takes  away  every  branch  in  me  that  does  not  bear 

fruit, 
And  he  prunes  every  branch  that  does  bear  fruit, 
That  it  may  bear  more  fruit. 
Yoti  are  already  cleansed  by  pruning,  because  of  the 

word  I  have  spoken  to  you; 
Continue  in  me  and  I  will  continue  in  you. 
Just  as  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  by  itself,  unless 

it  continues  in  the  vine, 
So  neither  can  you  unless  you  continue  in  me. 
I  am  the  vine,  you  are  the  branches. 
He  that  continues  in  me  and  I  in  him — he  will  bear 

much  fruit, 
Because  apart  from  me  you  can  do  nothing. 
Unless  one  continue  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  like  the 

branch  and  is  withered ; 
And  they  gather  them  and  throw  them  into  the  fire, 

and  they  are  burned. 
If  you  continue  in  me  and  my  teaching  continues  in 

you, 


3l6  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

You  may  ask  what  you  will  and  it  will  come  to  pass 

for  you. 
My  Father  is  honored  in  this:  that  you  bear  much 

fruit 
And  become  my  disciples. 

"  I  give  you  a  new  commandment :  Love  each  other. 

As  I  have  loved  you,  so  also  love  each  other. 

By  this  all  will  know  that  you  are  my  disciples, 

If  you  have  love  for  each  other. 

Just  as  the  Father  has  loved  me,  I  also  have  loved 

you— 
Continue  in  my  love ! 
If  you  obey  my  commandments  you  will  continue  in 

my  love, 
Just  as  I  have  obeyed  my  Father's  commandments  and 

continue  in  his  love. 
I  have  told  you  these  things  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you 
And  your  joy  be  made  complete. 

"  This  is  my  commandment :  Love  each  other,  just  as  I 

have  loved  you. 
No  one  has  greater  love  than  this : 
That  one  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. 
You  are  my  friends  if  you  do  what  I  command  you. 
I  no  longer  call  you  '  slaves,' 

For  the  slave  does  not  know  what  his  master  does ; 
But  I  have  called  you  friends. 
Because  I  have  made  known  to  you  all  that  I  have  heard 

from  my  Father. 
You  did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose  you 
And  appointed  you  to  go  and  bear  fruit; 
And  your  fruit  remains. 
In  order  that  the  Father  may  give  you  whatever  you 

ask  in  my  name. 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  317^ 

"  I  am  commanding  you  this :  to  love  each  other. 

If  the  world  hates  you,  you  know  that  it  has  hated  me 

before  you. 
If  you  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  continue  to 

love  its  own; 
But  because  you  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have 

chosen  you  out  of  the  world — 
For  this  the  world  hates  you ! 
Remember  my  former  saying,  '  The  slave  is  not  greater 

than  his  master.' 
If  they  persecuted  me,  they  will  persecute  you  also; 
If  they  obeyed  my  word,  they  will  obey  yours  also. 
But  they  will  do  all  this  to  you  on  account  of  my 

Name, 
Because  they  do  not  know  him  that  sent  me. 

"  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  would 

have  no  sin ; 
But  as  it  is,  they  have  no  excuse  for  their  sin. 
He  that  hates  me  hates  my  Father  also. 
If  I  had  not  done  among  them  works  such  as  no  one 

else  has  done,  they  would  have  no  sin ; 
But  as  it  is,  they  have  both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and 

my  Father. 
But  they  have  done  this  in  fulfilment  of  the  saying 

written  in  their  law. 
They  hated  me  without  just  cause. 

3.  The  Coming  of  the  Helper 

"  I  have  said  these  things  to  you  that  you  may  not  fall 

away. 
They  will  expel  you  from  the  synagogues, 
Yes,  a  time  is  coming  when  every  one  that  kills  you 

will  suppose  that  he  is  doing  God  a  service. 


3l8  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  they  will  do  these  things  because  they  have  not 

known  the  Father  nor  me. 
But  I  have  already  told  you  this 
In  order  that,  when  the  time  comes,  you  may  remember 

the  things  I  told  you ; 
But  I  did  not  tell  you  this  at  first, 
Because  I  was  still  with  you. 
But  now  I  am  going  to  him  that  sent  me, 
And  none  of  you  asks  me,  '  Where  are  you  going?  ' 
But  grief  has  filled  your  hearts  because  I  have  told 

you  this. 
Yet  I  tell  you  the  truth — it  is  for  your  good  that  I 

go  away. 
For  if  I  do  not  go  away,  the  Helper  will  not  come  to 

you  at  all; 
But  if  I  depart  I  will  send  him  to  you. 
And  when  he  has  come  he  will  bring  conviction  to  the 

world 
As  to  sin  and  righteousness  and  judgment : 
As  to  sin,  indeed,  because  they  do  not  trust  in  me ; 
And  as  to  righteousness,  because  I  am  going  to  the 

Father  and  you  will  no  longer  behold  me ; 
As  to  judgment,  because  the  ruler  of  this  world  has 

been  judged. 

"  After  a  little  while  you  will  no  longer  behold  me. 
And  again  after  a  little  while  you  will  see  me." 

So  some  of  his  disciples  said  to  one  another,  *'  What  is 
this  that  he  is  saying  to  us?  *  After  a  little  while  you  will 
not  see  me.'  And,  '  Because  I  am  going  to  the  Father.' 
What  is  this  that  he  is  saying  about  '  a  little  while '  ?  " 
they  continued ;  "  we  do  not  understand  what  he  is  talk- 
ing about." 

Jesus  knew  that  they  were  wishing  to  question  him, 
and  said  to  them : 


A   NEW  TRANSLATION:   GOSPEL  3I9 

"  Are  you  inquiring  of  one  another  about  this, 

*  After  a  little  while  you  will  not  behold  me, 

And  again  after  a  little  while  you  will  see  me  '  ? 

In  very  truth  I  say  to  you, 

You  will  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  will  rejoice; 

You  will  grieve,  but  your  grief  will  be  turned  into  joy. 

When  the  woman  brings  forth  her  child  she  grieves, 

Because  her  time  [of  suffering]  has  come ; 

But  when  the  child  is  born,  she  no  longer  remembers 
her  distress, 

Because  of  her  joy  that  a  man  has  been  born  into  the 
world. 

And  so  you  are  grieving  now,  to  be  sure, 

But  I  shall  see  you  again,  and  your  hearts  will  re- 
joice, 

And  no  one  will  take  from  you  your  joy. 

And  in  that  day  you  will  ask  me  nothing. 

Of  a  truth  I  tell  you,  if  you  ask  the  Father  anything 

He  will  give  it  you  in  my  Name. 

Hitherto  you  have  asked  nothing  in  my  Name; 

Ask  and  you  will  receive. 

That  your  joy  may  be  made  complete. 

I  have  said  these  things  to  you  in  figurative  language ; 

A  time  is  coming  when  I  shall  no  longer  speak  figura- 
tively to  you. 

But  shall  tell  you  plainly  about  the  Father. 

In  that  day  you  will  ask  in  my  Name, 

And  I  do  not  tell  you  that  I  shall  ask  the  Father  in 
your  behalf. 

For  the  Father  himself  loves  you,  because  you  have 
loved  me 

And  believed  that  I  came  forth  from  the  Father. 

I  came  forth  from  the  Father  and  I  have  come  into  the 
world ; 

Again  I  leave  the  world  and  depart  to  the  Father." 


320  THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

"  See  now,"  his  disciples  say,  "  you  are  talking  plainly 
and  are  not  speaking  figuratively.  Now  we  know  that 
you  know  all  things,  and  do  not  need  that  any  one  should 
question  you.  By  this  we  believe  that  you  came  forth 
from  God." 

Jesus  answered  them : 

"  Do  you  believe  at  this  time  ? 

Lo,  a  time  is  coming,  and  has  come,  for  you  to  be 

scattered,  each  to  his  own,  and  leave  me  alone ; 
Yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me. 
I  have  said  these  things  to  you  that  you  may  have  peace 

in  me. 
In  the  world  you  will  have  trouble,  but  be  of  good 

courage ! 
I  have  conquered  the  world. 

"  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  exalted, 

And  God  is  exalted  in  him ; 

And  God  will  exalt  him  in  his  own  being, 

And  will  exalt  him  at  once. 

Children,  I  am  with  you  only  a  little  while  longer ; 

You  will  look  for  me,  and,  as  I  said  to  the  Jews, 

'  Where  I  am  going  you  cannot  come,' 

I  say  it  now  to  you  also." 

Simon  Peter  says  to  him,  "  Master,  where  are  you 
going?" 

"  Where  I  am  going  you  will  not  be  able  to  follow  me 
now,"  replied  Jesus,  "  but  you  will  follow  later." 

"  Master,"  says  Peter  to  him,  "  why  cannot  I  follow 
you  at  present?    I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  you." 

"  You  will  lay  down  your  life  for  me?  "  replies  Jesus ; 
"  in  very  truth  I  tell  you  the  cock  will  by  no  means  crow 
until  you  have  three  times  disowned  me. 


A   NEW  TRANSLATION:   GOSPEL  321 

"  Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled ; 

Trust  in  God,  trust  in  me  also. 

In  my  Father's  house  are  many  apartments ; 

If  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you, 

For  I  am  departing  to  make  ready  a  place  for  you. 

And  if  I  depart  and  make  ready  a  place  for  you, 

I  shall  come  again  and  receive  you  to  myself. 

That  you  may  be  where  I  am. 

And  you  do  not  know  the  way  I  am  going." 

Thomas  says  to  him,  "  Master,  we  do  not  know  where 
you  are  going;  how  can  we  know  the  way?" 
Jesus  says  to  him, 

"  I  am  the  Way  and  the  Truth  and  the  Life; 
No  one  comes  to  the  Father  except  through  me. 
If  you  knew  me  you  would  know  my  Father  also ; 
From  this  time  you  know  him  and  have  seen  him." 

"  Master,"  says  Philip  to  him,  "  show  us  the  Father, 
and  it  will  content  us." 
Jesus  says  to  him, 

"  Have  I  been  so  long  a  time  with  you, 

And  yet  have  you  not  recognized  me,  Philip? 

He  that  has  seen  me  has  seen  the  Father ; 

Why  are  you  saying,  '  Show  us  the  Father  ? ' 

Do  you  not  believe  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the 

Father  in  me  ? 
The  words  that  I  speak  to  you  I  do  not  say  on  my 

own  authority, 
But  the  Father,  dwelling  in  me,  is  doing  his  works. 
Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father 

in  me. 
Or  else  believe  me  on  account  of  the  works  themselves. 
In  very  truth  I  tell  you, 
V 


322  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

He  that  trusts  in  me  will  also  do  the  works  that  I  am 

doing, 
And  he  will  do  greater  works  than  these, 
Because  I  am  going  to  the  Father. 
And  I  shall  do  whatsoever  you  ask  in  my  Name, 
In  order  that  the  Father  may  be  honored  in  the  Son. 
If  you  ask  anything  in  my  Name,  I  shall  do  it. 

"If  you  love  me,  obey  my  commandments ; 

And  I  shall  ask  the  Father  and  he  will  give  you  another 

Helper, 
To  be  with  you  forever — the  Spirit  of  truth. 
Whom  the  world  cannot  receive 
Because  it  does  not  behold  him  or  know  him. 
You  know  him,  because  he  continues  among  you  and 

in  you. 
I  shall  not  leave  you  orphans, 
I  am  coming  to  you. 

After  a  little  while  the  world  beholds  me  no  longer, 
But  you  behold  me ; 
Because  I  live,  you  also  will  live. 
In  that  day  you  will  know  that  I  am  in  my  Father, 
And  you  in  me  and  I  in  you. 
He  that  has  my  commandments  and  obeys  them  is  he 

that  loves  me ; 
And  he  that  loves  me  will  be  loved  by  my  Father, 
And  I  shall  love  him  and  reveal  myself  to  him." 

Judas  (not  Iscariot)  says  to  him,  "  Master,  what  has 
happened  that  you  are  about  to  reveal  yourself  to  us  and 
not  to  the  world  ? " 

Jesus  replied: 

"  If  any  one  love  me,  he  will  obey  my  teaching. 
And  my  Father  will  love  him. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  323 

And  we  shall  come  to  him  and  make  our  dwelling  with 

him. 
He  that  does  not  love  me  will  not  obey  my  teaching ; 
And  the  teaching  that  you  hear  is  not  mine,  but  that 

of  the  Father  that  sent  me. 

"  When  the  Helper  comes,  whom  I  shall  send  to  you 

from  the  Father — 
The  Spirit  of  truth  who  proceeds  from  the  Father — 
He  will  testify  concerning  me. 
And  you  are  also  to  bear  testimony, 
Because  you  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning. 

"  i  have  said  these  things  to  you  while  remaining  with 

you; 
But  the  Helper,  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  the  Father  will 

send  in  my  name — 
He  will  teach  you  all  things 
And  put  you  in  remembrance  of  all  that  I  have  said 

to  you, 
I  leave  peace  with  you, 
I  give  you  my  peace; 

I  do  not  give  to  you  as  the  world  gives — 
Let  not  your  hearts  be  distressed  nor  fearful! 
You  heard  what  I  said  to  you, 
*  I  am  going  away  and  I  am  coming  to  you.' 
If  you  loved  me  you  would  rejoice  that  I  am  departing 

to  the  Father, 
Because  the  Father  is  greater  than  I. 
And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  takes  place, 
That  when  it  takes  place  you  may  believe. 

"  I  still  have  much  to  say  to  you. 

But  you  cannot  endure  it  at  present. 

But  when  he  shall  come,  the  Spirit  of  truth. 


324  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

He  will  guide  you  into  all  the  truth; 

For  he  will  not  speak  on  his  own  authority, 

But  he  will  speak  what  he  hears, 

And  will  tell  you  what  will  come  to  pass. 

He  will  honor  me 

Because  he  will  receive  what  belongs  to  me  and  tell  it 

to  you. 
All  that  the  Father  has  is  mine; 
Therefore  1  said,  '  He  will  receive  what  belongs  to  me 

and  tell  it  to  you.' 

"  I  shall  no  longer  talk  much  with  you. 

For  the  ruler  of  this  world  is  coming,  and  he  has 

nothing  [that  pertains  to  him]  in  me ; 
But  [he  comes]  that  the  world  may  know  that  I  love 

the  Father, 
And  am  doing  just  what  the  Father  has  commanded. 
Arise,  let  us  go  from  this  place." 

4.  Jesus  Prays  for  His  Disciples 

Jesus  spoke  these  things,  and  lifting  his  eyes  to  heaven 
said: 

"  Father,  the  hour  has  come : 

Exalt  thy  Son,  that  the  Son  may  exalt  thee. 

Just  as  thou  gavest  him  authority  over  all  mankind. 

In  order  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  every  one 

that  thou  gavest  him. 
Now  this  is  eternal  life:  to  know  the  only  real  God, 
And  him  whom  thou  hast  sent  forth,  Jesus  [the]  Christ. 
I  exalted  thee  on  the  earth, 
I  finished  the  work  thou  gavest  me  to  do. 
And  now  exalt  thou  me.  Father,  with  thyself. 
In  the  honor  that  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world 
was. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  325 

"  I  made  known  thy  name  to  the  men  whom  thou  gavest 

me  out  of  the  world. 
They  were  thine,  and  thou  gavest  them  to  me, 
And  they  have  obeyed  thy  teaching. 
They  have  understood  now  that  all  things  that  thou 

gavest  me  are  from  thee ; 
Because  I  have  given  them  the  words  that  thou  gavest 

me, 
And  they  received  them  and  really  understood  that  1 

came  forth  from  thee, 
And  believed  that  thou  didst  send  me  forth. 
I  intercede  for  them ; 
I  do  not  intercede  for  the  world, 
But  for  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  because  they 

are  thine — 
And  all  mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine — 
And  I  have  been  exalted  in  them. 

"  And  I  am  no  longer  in  the  world, 

Yet  these  are  in  the  world, 

And  I  am  coming  to  thee. 

Holy  Father,  keep  in  my  Name  these  whom  thou  hast 

given  me. 
That  they  may  be  one  just  as  we  are. 
When  I  was  with  them  I  continued  to  keep  them  in  thy 

Name  which  thou  hast  given  me, 
And  I  guarded  them, 
And  not  one  of  them  was  destroyed  save  the  son  of 

destruction. 
That  what  was  written  might  be  accomplished. 
And  now  I  am  coming  to  thee. 
And  I  say  these  things  in  the  world, 
That  they  may  have  my  joy  made  complete  in  them. 
I  have  given  them  thy  teaching 
And  the  world  hated  them. 


326  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

Because  they  are  not  of  the  world, 

Just  as  I  am  not  of  the  world. 

I  do  not  ask  thee  to  take  them  out  of  the  world, 

But  to  keep  them  from  the  evil  one. 

They  are  not  of  the  world, 

Just  as  I  am  not  of  the  world. 

Consecrate  them  by  the  truth — 

Thy  teaching  is  truth. 

Just  as  thou  didst  send  me  forth  into  the  world, 

I  also  have  sent  them  forth  into  the  world. 

And  for  their  sakes  I  consecrate  myself. 

That  they  also  may  be  consecrated. 

"  I  do  not  intercede  for  these  only, 

But  also  for  those  that  trust  in  me  through  their  teach- 
ing, 

That  all  may  be  one — 

That,  just  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me  and  I  in  thee. 

They  also  may  be  in  us. 

In  order  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  didst 
send  me  forth. 

And  I  have  given  them  the  honor  thou  hast  given  me. 

In  order  that  they  may  be  one,  just  as  we  are  one, 

I  in  them  and  thou  in  me, 

That  they  may  be  completely  united, 

That  the  world  may  know  that  thou  didst  send  me  forth 

And  didst  love  them  just  as  thou  didst  love  me. 

"  Father,  I  desire  that  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me 

should  be  with  me  where  I  am. 
To  behold  my  honor  that  thou  hast  given  me, 
Because  thou  didst  love  me  before  the  founding  of  the 

world. 
Righteous  Father,  though  the  world  did  not  know  thee, 

I  knew  thee. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  327 

And  these  know  that  thou  didst  send  me  forth ; 

And  I  made  known  thy  name  to  them, 

And  will  make  it  known, 

That  the  love  with  which  thou  didst  love  me  may  be 

in  them, 
And  I  in  them." 

5.  The  Arrest  and  Trial 

Having  said  this,  Jesus  went  out  with  his  disciples 
across  the  stream  called  Kedron,  where  there  was  a 
garden  which  he  and  his  disciples  entered.  Now  Judas 
also,  who  delivered  him  up,  was  acquainted  with  the  place, 
for  Jesus  often  met  with  his  disciples  there.  So  Judas, 
having  received  the  Temple  guard  and  ofHcers  from  the 
chief  priests  and  Pharisees,  comes  there  with  torches 
and  lanterns  and  weapons.  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all 
things  that  were  coming  upon  him,  came  forth  and  says 
to  them, 

"  For  whom  are  you  looking?  " 

"  Jesus,  the  Nazarene,"  they  replied. 

"  I  am  he,"  says  he. 

Now  Judas  also,  the  traitor,  stood  with  them.  So 
when  he  said  to  them,  "  I  am  he,"  they  went  backward 
and  fell  to  the  ground.    So  he  asked  them  again, 

"  For  whom  are  you  looking?  " 

"  Jesus,  the  Nazarene,"  they  replied. 

"  I  told  you  that  I  am  he,"  said  Jesus ;  "  so,  if  you  are 
looking  for  me,  let  these  go  away  " — that  the  saying  might 
be  accomplished,  "  I  did  not  lose  one  of  those  whom  thou 
hast  given  me." 

Then  Simon  Peter,  having  a  sword,  drew  it  and  struck 
the  high  priest's  slave  and  cut  ofif  his  right  ear.  Now  the 
slave's  name  was  Malchus.    Then  Jesus  said  to  Peter, 

"  Put  your  sword  into  the  sheath.  Shall  I  not  drink 
the  cup  my  Father  has  given  me  ?  " 


328  THE    JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

So  the  guard  and  the  captain  and  the  officers  of  the 
Jews  seized  Jesus  and  bound  him,  and  led  him  to  Annas 
first,  for  he  was  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas,  who  was  high 
priest  that  year.  The  high  priest  therefore  asked  Jesus 
about  his  disciples  and  his  teaching. 

"  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world,"  replied  Jesus ; 
"  I  always  taught  in  the  synagogues  and  the  Temple. 
Why  do  you  ask  me  ?  Ask  those  who  listened  to  me  what 
I  said  to  them — lo,  they  know  what  I  said." 

When  he  had  said  this,  one  of  the  officers  that  stood  by 
gave  Jesus  a  blow  with  his  stafif,  saying, 

"  Do  you  answer  the  high  priest  in  that  style?  " 

"  If  I  spoke  ill,"  Jesus  replied,  "  testify  concerning  the 
offense,  but  if  well,  why  do  you  strike  me?  " 

Annas  then  sent  him  away  to  Caiaphas,  the  high  priest. 
And  it  was  Caiaphas  who  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews  that 
it  was  better  for  them  that  one  man  should  die  in  behalf 
of  the  people.  And  Simon  Peter  and  another  disciple 
followed  Jesus.  Now  that  disciple  was  known  to  the 
high  priest,  and  went  in  with  Jesus  to  the  high  priest's 
court,  but  Peter  stood  outside,  by  the  door.  So  the  other 
disciple  who  was  known  to  the  high  priest  came  out  and 
spoke  to  the  portress,  and  brought  Peter  in.  Then  the 
maid  who  kept  the  door  said, 

"  Are  you  not  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples  ?  " 

"  I  am  not,"  he  said. 

Now  the  slaves  and  officers  having  made  a  charcoal 
fire  (for  it  was  cold)  were  standing  there  and  warming 
themselves,  and  Peter  also  stood  with  them  and  warmed 
himself.    So  they  said  to  him, 

"  Are  not  you  also  one  of  his  disciples  ? " 

He  denied  it  and  said,  "  I  am  not." 

One  of  the  high  priest's  slaves,  a  relative  of  the  one 
whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  says, 

"  Did  I  not  see  you  in  the  garden  with  him  ?  " 


A   NEW   TRANSLATION  :   GOSPEL  329 

So  Peter  denied  it  again ;  and  at  once  the  cock  crowed. 

Then  they  lead  Jesus  from  Caiaphas  to  the  Pretorium. 
Now  it  was  early,  and  they  themselves  did  not  enter  the 
Pretorium,  that  they  should  not  be  defiled,  but  might 
cat  the  passover.    So  Pilate  came  out  to  them  and  said, 

"  What  charge  do  you  bring  against  this  man  ?  " 

"  If  he  were  not  a  criminal,"  they  replied,  "  we  should 
not  have  delivered  him  to  you." 

"  Take  him  yourselves,"  Pilate  said  to  them,  "  and 
judge  him  according  to  your  law." 

"  We  have  no  right  to  put  any  one  to  death  [during 
the  feast],"  the  Jews  said  to  him,  that  the  saying  of 
Jesus  might  be  fulfilled,  when  he  signified  by  what  sort  of 
death  he  was  about  to  die. 

So  Pilate  entered  the  Pretorium  again  and  spoke  to 
Jesus  and  said  to  him, 

"  Are  you  the  king  of  the  Jews?  " 

"  Do  you  ask  this  of  your  own  accord  ? "  answered 
Jesus,  "  or  did  others  tell  you  about  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  no  Jew,  am  I  ?  "  replied  Pilate.  *'  Your  nation 
and  the  chief  priests  delivered  you  to  me.  What  did 
you  do  ? " 

"  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  replied  Jesus. 
"  If  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  my  subjects  would 
fight  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  up  by  the  Jews;  but 
as  it  is,  my  kingdom  is  not  from  this  place." 

"  In  any  case  you  are  a  king,  are  you  not  ? "  said 
Pilate  to  him. 

"  I  am  what  you  say,  a  king,"  Jesus  replied.  "  I  have 
been  born  for  this,  and  for  this  I  have  come  into  the 
world — to  testify  to  the  truth ;  every  one  that  is  of  the 
truth  hears  my  voice." 

"  What  is  truth  ?  "  says  Pilate  to  him. 

And  having  said  this,  he  went  out  to  the  Jews  and 
says  to  them, 


330  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

"  I  find  no  crime  in  him;  but  you  have  a  custom  that  I 
release  to  you  one  prisoner  at  the  passover — do  you 
wish  that  I  release  to  you  the  king  of  the  Jews?  " 

Then  they  shouted  again,  saying,  ''  Not  this  man,  but 
Barabbas."    (Now  Barabbas  was  a  brigand.) 

So  then  Pilate  took  Jesus  and  scourged  him.  And 
the  soldiers  twisted  together  a  crown  from  some  thorny 
plants  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and  threw  about  him 
a  purple  cloak;  and  they  kept  coming  to  him  and 
saying, 

"  Hurrah  for  the  king  of  the  Jews !  "  And  they  gave 
him  blows  with  rods. 

And  Pilate  came  out  again  and  said  to  them, 
"  See,  I  bring  him  out  to  you,  that  you  may  know  chat  I 
find  no  crime  in  him." 

So  Jesus  came  forth,  wearing  the  thorny  crown  and 
the  purple  cloak.    And  he  says  to  them, 

"  Behold  the  man." 

So  when  the  chief  priests  and  the  officers  saw  him,  they 
shouted, 

"  Crucify,  crucify  him." 

"  Take  him  yourselves  and  crucify  him,"  says  Pilate, 
"  for  I  find  no  crime  in  him." 

"  We  have  a  law,"  replied  the  Jews,  "  and  according  to 
that  law  he  ought  to  die,  because  he  pretended  that  he 
is  God's  Son." 

So  when  Pilate  heard  this  saying  he  was  more  alarmed, 
and  entered  the  Pretorium  again  and  said  to  Jesus, 

"  Where  are  you  from  ?  "  but  Jesus  gave  him  no  reply. 

"Do  you  not  talk  to  me?"  says  Pilate  to  him;  "do 
you  not  know  that  I  have  authority  to  release  you  and 
have  authority  to  crucify  you?  " 

"  You  would  have  no  authority  at  all  over  me,"  replied 
Jesus,  "  if  it  were  not  given  you  from  above ;  for  this 
reason,  he  that  delivered  me  up  to  you  has  greater  sin," 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  331 

In  consequence  of  this,  Pilate  tried  again  and  again  to 
release  him,  but  the  Jews  shouted, 

"  If  you  release  this  man,  you  are  not  Caesar's  friend; 
every  one  who  proclaims  himself  a  king  declares  him- 
self against  Caesar." 

So  when  Pilate  heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus 
without,  and  sat  upon  the  bema,  in  a  place  called  "  The 
Pavement  of  Mosaics  "  (in  Hebrew,  Gabbatha).  Now  ii 
was  the  day  of  preparation  for  the  passover,  about  noon. 
And  he  says  to  the  Jews, 

"  Behold  your  king!  " 

So  they  shouted,  "  Kill  him !    Kill  him !    Crucify  him !  " 

"  Shall  I  crucify  your  king?"  says  Pilate  to  them. 

"  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar,"  replied  the  chief  priests. 

So  then  he  delivered  him  up  to  them  to  be  crucified. 

6.  The  Crucifixion  and  Death 

Then  they  took  Jesus,  and  bearing  the  cross  for  him- 
self, he  went  forth  to  the  place  called  The  Skull  (in 
Hebrew,  Golgotha)  where  they  crucified  him,  and  with 
him  two  others,  [one]  on  either  side  and  Jesus  in  the 
middle.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  and  placed  it  on  the 
cross;  and  it  was  written,  Jesus,  the  Nazarexe,  the 
King  of  the  Jews.  Now  many  of  the  Jews  read  this 
title,  because  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was 
near  the  city  and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew,  Latin,  and 
Greek.  So  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  said  repeatedly 
to  Pilate, 

"  Do  not  write,  '  The  king  of  the  Jews,'  but  that  he  said, 
'  I  am  king  of  the  Jews.'  " 

"  What  I  have  written  I  have  written,"  replied  Pilate. 

Now  the  soldiers,  when  they  crucified  Jesus,  took  his 
clothes  and  made  four  portions,  a  portion  for  each  soldier, 
and  the  tunic.    And  the  tunic  was  seamless,  woven  from 


332  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

top  to  bottom  in  one  piece.  So  they  said  to  each  other, 
"  Let  us  not  tear  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall 
be  " — that  the  Scripture  might  be  f  ulfilled^ 

They  shared  my  clothes  among  themselves 
And  for  my  tunic  they  cast  lots. 

These  things  indeed  the  soldiers  did;  but  there  were 
standing  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother  and  his  mother's 
sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleopas,  and  Mary  of  Magdala. 
Now  Jesus,  seeing  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  whom  he 
loved  standing  by,  says  to  his  mother,  "  Madam,  see, 
your  son!"  Then  he  says  to  the  disciple,  "See,  your 
mother !  "  And  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her  to 
his  own  home. 

After  this  Jesus  (knowing  that  now  all  has  been 
finished)  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  says,  "  I 
am  thirsty."  A  bowl  was  standing  there  full  of  sour 
wine;  so  they  put  a  sponge  full  of  the  wine  on  [a  stalk 
of]  hyssop  and  raised  it  to  his  mouth.  Now  when  he 
had  taken  the  wine,  Jesus  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  and 
bowing  his  head  he  gave  up  his  spirit. 

Now  since  it  was  the  Preparation,  the  Jews  asked 
Pilate  that  their  ^  legs  might  be  broken  and  the  bodies  be 
removed,  in  order  that  they  might  not  remain  upon  the 
cross  on  the  sabbath  (for  that  sabbath  was  a  great  day). 
So  the  soldiers  came,  and  they  broke  the  legs  of  the 
first,  and  of  the  other  who  was  crucified  with  him;  but 
when  they  came  to  Jesus,  as  they  saw  that  he  was  already 
dead,  they  did  not  break  his  legs.  But  one  of  the  soldiers 
pierced  his  side  with  a  spear,  and  water  and  blood  came 
out.  And  he  who  saw  has  testified — and  his  testimony 
is  trustworthy,  and  he  knows  that  he  is  speaking  truth — 
in  order  that  you  also  may  believe.     For  this  took  place 

•  /.  e.,  of  the  crucified,  not  of  the  Tews.  The  confusion  of  pronouns  is  in  the  orig- 
inal, and  unavoidable  without  paraphrase  or  reconstructipn  of  the  sentence, —  TV. 


A  NEW  translation:  gospel  333 

in  order  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of 
him  will  not  be  crushed.  And  again  another  passage  says, 
They  zvill  look  on  him  zvhom  they  pierced. 

Xovv  after  these  things,  Joseph  of  Arimathea — who 
was  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly,  for  fear  of  the 
Jews — asked  Pilate  that  he  might  remove  the  body  of 
Jesus.  And  Pilate  gave  him  leave.  So  he  came  and 
removed  his  body.  And  Nicodemus  also  came  (he  who 
came  to  him  at  the  first  by  night)  bringing  a  roll  of  myrrh 
and  aloes  weighing  about  a  hundred  pounds.  So  they 
took  the  body  of  Jesus  and  bound  it  in  linen  cloths  with 
the  spices,  as  is  the  custom  of  the  Jews  to  bury.  Now 
there  was  a  garden  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified, 
and  in  that  garden  a  new  tomb,  in  which  no  one  had  ever 
been  laid.  There  then,  because  of  the  Preparation  of  the 
Jews,  since  the  tomb  was  near,  they  laid  Jesus. 

7.  The  Resurrection 

Now  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  Mary  of  Magdala 
comes  to  the  tomb  very  early,  while  it  is  yet  dark,  and 
sees  the  stone  removed  from  the  tomb.  So  she  runs  and 
comes  to  Simon  Peter  and  to  the  other  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  and  says  to  them, 

"  They  have  removed  the  Master  from  the  tomb,  and 
we  do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  him." 

So  Peter  and  the  other  disciple  went  out  and  were 
going  to  the  tomb.  And  the  two  began  running  together, 
and  the  other  disciple  ran  faster  than  Peter  and  came 
first  to  the  tomb;  and  stooping  down  he  sees  the  linen 
cloths  lying — however,  he  did  not  go  in.  Then  Simon 
Peter  also  comes,  following  him,  and  he  went  into  the 
tomb;  and  he  sees  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  kerchief 
that  was  upon  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  cloths,  but 
rolled  up  in  a  place  by  itself.    So  then  the  other  disciple 


334  THE    JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

went  in — he  who  came  first  to  the  tomb — and  he  saw  and 
beHeved.  For  they  did  not  yet  understand  the  Scripture 
which  says  that  he  must  rise  from  the  dead.  The  dis- 
ciples then  returned  to  their  homes. 

But  Mary  was  standing  by  the  tomb,  outside,  weeping. 
Now  while  she  was  weeping  she  stooped  down  into  the 
tomb  and  saw  two  angels  in  white  sitting  there,  one  at 
the  head  and  one  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus 
was  formerly  lying.    And  they  say  to  her, 

"  Madam,  why  are  you  weeping  ?  " 

"  They  have  removed  my  Master,"  she  says  to  them, 
"  and  I  do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  him." 

When  she  had  said  this,  she  turned  around  and  saw 
Jesus  standing  [there],  but  did  not  recognize  him  as 
Jesus.     Jesus  says  to  her, 

"  Madam,  why  are  you  weeping?  For  whom  are  you 
looking  ?  " 

She,  thinking  that  he  is  the  gardener,  says  to  him, 
"  Sir,  if  you  have  carried  him  away,  tell  me  where  you 
have  put  him  and  I  will  remove  him." 

"  Mary !  "  says  Jesus. 

Turning,  she  says  to  him,  "  Rabboni "  (which  means 
Teacher). 

"  Do  not  touch  me,"  says  Jesus  to  her,  "  for  I  have  not 
yet  ascended  to  my  Father;  but  go  to  my  brothers  and 
tell  them,  '  I  am  ascending  to  my  Father  and  your 
Father,  and  to  my  God  and  your  God.'  " 

Mary  of  Magdala  comes  announcing  to  the  disciples, 
"  I  have  seen  the  Master,"  and  that  he  had  said  these 
things  to  her. 

Now  when  it  was  evening  of  that  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  the  doors  where  the  disciples  were  had  been 
shut  because  of  fear  of  the  Jews,  Jesus  came  and  stood 
in  the  midst  and  said  to  them, 

"  Peace  be  to  you." 


A   NEW  TRANSLATION:   GOSPEL  335 

And  having  said  this,  he  showed  them  his  hands  and 
side.  So  the  disciples  rejoiced  at  seeing  the  Master. 
So  he  said  to  them  again, 

"  Peace  be  to  you.  Just  as  the  Father  sent  me  I  also 
am  sending  you." 

And  when  he  had  said  this  he  breathed  upon  them  and 
said, 

"  Receive  the  Holy  Spirit. 
If  you  forgive  the  sins  of  any, 
They  have  been  forgiven ; 
If  you  retain  the  sins  of  any, 
They  have  been  retained." 

Now  Thomas — one  of  the  Twelve,  the  one  called  the 
Twin — was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came.  So  the 
other  disciples  said  to  him  repeatedly, 

"  We  have  seen  the  Master," 

But  he  said  to  them,  "  Unless  I  see  in  his  hands  the 
mark  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will 
not  believe  at  all." 

And  a  week  later  his  disciples  were  within  and  Thomas 
with  them.  Although  the  doors  had  been  shut,  Jesus  came 
and  stood  in  the  midst  and  said, 

"  Peace  be  to  you." 

Then  he  says  to  Thomas,  "  Put  your  finger  here  and  see 
my  hands,  and  take  your  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my  side, 
and  do  not  become  faithless  but  believing." 

"  My  Master  and  my  God,"  replied  Thomas  to  him. 

"  Because  you  have  seen  me  you  have  believed,"  says 
Jesus  to  him ;  "  happy  those  that  do  not  see,  yet  believe." 

Now  to  be  sure,  while  with  his  disciples,  Jesus  did 
many  other  signs  also  that  are  not  written  in  this  book ; 
but  these  have  been  written  that  you  may  believe  Jesus 
to  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  believing  you 
may  have  life  in  his  name. 


336  THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 


EPILOGUE 

After  these  things  Jesus  showed  himself  again  to  the 
disciples  by  the  Lake  of  Tiberias;  and  he  showed  him- 
self thus : 

Simon  Peter  and  Thomas  (called  the  Twin),  and 
Nathanael  (of  Cana  in  Galilee),  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee, 
and  two  other  disciples  were  together.  Simon  says  to 
them, 

"  I  am  going  fishing." 

"  We  too  are  coming  with  you,"  they  say. 

They  went  out  and  embarked  in  the  boat,  and  caught 
nothing  that  night.  But  while  it  was  still  very  early, 
Jesus  stood  on  the  beach — however,  the  disciples  did  not 
recognize  Jesus. 

"  Children,  you  have  nothing  to  eat,  have  you  ?  "  Jesus 
says  to  them. 

"  No,"  they  answered  him. 

"  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,"  he  says  to 
them,  "and  you  will  find   [some]." 

So  they  cast,  and  were  no  longer  able  to  draw  the  net, 
on  account  of  the  number  of  fish.  So  that  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved  says  to  Peter, 

"  It  is  the  Master." 

Simon  Peter  then,  hearing  that  it  is  the  Master,  put 
on  his  blouse  (for  he  had  on  his  underclothes  only),  and 
threw  himself  into  the  lake ;  but  the  other  disciples  came 
in  the  little  boat  (for  they  were  not  far  from  the  shore, 
only  about  a  hundred  yards),  drawing  the  net  full  of  fish. 
So  when  they  had  disembarked  on  the  shore,  they  see 
a  charcoal  fire  made  there,  and  fish  lying  on  it,  and 
bread. 

"  Bring  [here]  some  of  the  fish  that  you  have  just 
caught,"  says  Jesus  to  them. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    GOSPEL  337 

So  Simon  Peter  went  aboard  and  drew  the  net  to  the 

shore,  full  of  large  fish.  There  were  one  hundred  and 
fift3'-three,  and  although  there  were  so  many  the  net  was 
not  torn. 

"  Come  here  and  breakfast,"  says  Jesus  to  them. 

None  of  the  disciples  was  venturing  to  ask  him,  "  Who 
are  you  ?  "  since  they  knew  it  was  the  Master.  Jesus 
comes  and  takes  the  bread  and  gives  it  to  them,  and  the 
fish  in  the  same  way.  In  this  way  Jesus  was  now  a 
third  time  shown  to  the  disciples  after  he  was  raised  from 
the  dead. 

So  when  they  had  breakfasted,  Jesus  says  to  Simon 
Peter, 

"  Simon,  son  of  John,  do  you  love  me  more  than 
these?" 

*'  Yes,  Master,"  he  says  to  him,  "  you  know  that  I  am 
your  friend." 

"  Pasture  my  lambs,"  he  says  to  him. 

He  says  to  him,  a  second  time, 

"  Simon,  son  of  John,  do  you  love  me?  " 

"  Yes,  Master,"  says  Peter,  "  you  know  that  I  am  your 
friend." 

"  Shepherd  my  sheep,"  he  says  to  him. 

He  says  to  him  the  third  time, 

"Simon,  son  of  John,  are  you  my  friend?" 

Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  to  him  the  third  time, 
"  Are  you  my  friend  ?  "  and  said  to  him, 

"  Master,  you  know  all  things,  you  perceive  that  I  am 
your  friend." 

"  Pasture  my  little  sheep,"  says  Jesus  to  him.  "  In 
very  truth  I  tell  you,  when  you  were  young  you  used 
to  gird  yourself  and  walk  wherever  you  wished;  but 
when  you  grow  old  you  will  stretch  out  your  hands  and 
another  will  gird  you  and  lead  you  where  you  do  not 
wish." 
w 


338  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

In  saying  this  he  indicated  by  what  sort  of  death 
Peter  would  honor  God.    And  having  said  this,  he  added, 

"  Follow  me." 

Peter,  turning  around,  sees  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved  following — the  one  that  leaned  back  on  Jesus'  breast 
at  the  supper  and  said,  "  Master,  who  is  it  that  will  de- 
liver you  up  ?  "    So  when  he  saw  him,  Peter  says  to  Jesus, 

"  Master,  what  about  him  ?  " 

"  If  I  will  that  he  remain  until  I  come,"  says  Jesus  to 
him,  "  what  is  that  to  you?    Do  you  follow  me." 

So  there  went  out  this  report  among  the  brothers,  that 
that  disciple  would  not  die.  Yet  Jesus  did  not  say  to 
him  that  he  would  not  die,  but,  "  If  I  will  that  he  remain 
till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  you  ?  "  ^ 

Now  there  were  many  other  things  also  that  Jesus  did, 
so  that  if  they  were  written  in  detail  I  suppose  that  even 
the  world  itself  would  not  hold  the  books  that  would 
be  written. 

^This  is  the  disciple  who  testifies  concerning  these  things,  and  we  know 
that  his  testimony  is  trustworthy. 


A   NEW  TRANSLATION  :   GOSPEL  339 


APPENDIX 

And  each  one  went  to  his  own  home,  but  Jesus  went 
to  the  Mount  of  OHves.  And  early  in  the  morning  he 
came  into  the  Temple;  and  all  the  people  came  to  him, 
and  he  sat  down  and  taught  them.  Now  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  bring  a  woman  who  had  been  caught  in 
adultery,  and  placing  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  to  him, 

"  Master,  this  woman  was  caught  in  the  very  act 
of  adultery.  Now  in  the  Law  Moses  commanded  us 
to  stone  such  women.    Now  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

They  were  saying  this  to  test  him,  in  order  to  have 
a  charge  to  bring  against  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down, 
and  wrote  on  the  ground  with  his  finger.  And  as  they 
continued  to  question  him,  he  raised  himself  up  and  said 
to  them, 

"  Let  the  man  among  you  that  is  without  sin  throw  the 
first  stone." 

And  again  he  stooped  down,  and  wrote  upon  the 
ground.  So  when  they  heard  that,  one  by  one  they  went 
out,  beginning  with  the  eldest,  and  he  was  left  alone  with 
the  woman  still  in  the  midst  of  the  court.  So  Jesus 
raised  himself  up  and  said  to  her, 

"  Madam,  where  are  they  ?    Did  no  one  condemn  you  ?  " 

"  No  one,  Master,"  said  she. 

"  Neither  do  I  condemn  you,"  said  Jesus,  "  go,  and 
from  this  time  sin  no  longer." 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN 

Prefatory  Note. — This  writing  has  certain  peculiar- 
ities that  are  not  without  difficulty  for  the  translator. 
Not  only  does  the  author  use  certain  words,  simple  in 
themselves,  in  subtle  and  esoteric  meanings  that  are  dif- 
ficult to  convey  (such  words  as  ^  !^ioTJ,  -^  dX^dua,  ro  fwc), 
but  he  is  fond  of  phrases  whose  meaning  cannot  be  ade- 
quately conveyed  to  the  English  reader  except  by  para- 
phrase, like  ix  TOO  dsou,  ix  r^c  dXrjdeca!;.  The  translator 
must  therefore  assume  and  be  granted  more  freedom 
than  in  the  historical  books,  if  he  is  to  make  the  sense 
of  the  original  reasonably  clear.  Otherwise,  the  English 
text  must  be  accompanied  by  a  commentary — in  which 
case  it  can  be  called  a  translation  only  by  courtesy.  But 
while  he  thus  shuns  Scylla,  he  must  take  care  not  to  fall 
into  Charybdis — in  other  words,  to  make  a  paraphrase, 
not  a  translation. 

PROLOGUE 

What  existed  from  the  beginning  we  are  declaring, 
What  we  have  heard,  what  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes, 
What  we  have  looked  upon  and  our  hands  have 

handled — 
Concerning  the  Word  [who  is  the  source]  of  Life, 
And  the  Life  was  made  visible. 
And  we  have  seen  it,  and  are  testifying  and  declaring  to 

you  the  Eternal  Life, 
Which  was  with  the  Father 
And  was  made  visible  to  us. 
340 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :   EPISTLES  34 1 

To  you  also  we  are  declaring  what  we  have  seen  and 

heard, 
In  order  that  you  too  may  have  fellowship  with  us. 
And  moreover,  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father 
And  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 
And  we  are  writing  these  things 
That  your  joy  may  be  made  complete. 

I.  The  Message 

And  this  is  the  Message  that  we  have  heard  from  him 

and  are  declaring  to  you : 
"  God  is  Light,  and  there  is  no  darkness  at  all  in  him." 
If  we  say  that  we  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  are 

walking  in  the  darkness. 
We  lie  and  are  not  doing  what  the  truth  requires. 
But  if  we  are  walking  in  the  Light,  as  He  is  in  the 

Light, 
We  have  fellowship  with  each  other, 
And  the  blood  of  Jesus,  his  Son,  purifies  us  from  all 

sin. 

2.  Sin  and  Its  Forgiveness 

If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin  within  us 

We  are  deceiving  ourselves  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us. 

If  we  confess  our  sins, 

God  is  faithful  and  righteous, 

So  that  he  will  forgive  us  our  sins  and  purify  us  from 

all  unrighteousness. 
If  we  say  "  We  have  not  sinned," 
We  are  making  him  a  liar, 
And  his  teaching  is  not  in  us. 

My  little  children,  I  am  writing  these  things  to  you 
That  you  may  not  sin  [at  all]  ; 
Yet  if  any  one  has  sinned, 


342  THE   JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

We  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ, 

who  is  righteous. 
And  he  is  an  expiatory  offering  for  our  sins, 
And  not  for  ours  alone,  but  for  the  whole  world  also. 

3.  Obedience  the  Test 

And  we  perceive  that  we  have  come  to  knowledge  of 
him  by  this  test :  Are  we  obeying  his  commandments  ?  He 
that  says,  "  I  have  learned  to  know  him,"  and  is  not  obey- 
ing his  commandments,  is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in 
him.  But  whoever  obeys  his  teaching,  certainly  God's 
love  has  been  made  perfect  in  him.  We  recognize  that 
we  are  in  union  with  him  by  this  test :  he  that  professes 
to  be  united  with  him  ought  himself  also  to  live  just  the 
kind  of  life  that  he  lived. 

4.  A  Commandment,  Old  and  New 

Dear  friends,  I  am  writing  no  new  commandment  to 

you, 
But  an  old  commandment  that  you  have  continued  to 

possess  from  the  first. 
The  old  commandment  is  the  Message  that  you  heard. 
Yet  I  am  writing  you  a  new  commandment, 
Which  is  [seen  to  be]  true  in  what  he  is  and  what  you 

are; 
Because  the  darkness  is  passing  away 
And  the  genuine  Light  is  already  shining. 
He  that  professes  to  be  in  the  Light, 
Yet  hates  his  brother. 
Is  in  the  darkness  up  to  this  time. 
He  that  loves  his  brother  remains  in  the  Light, 
And  there  is  no  occasion  of  stumbling  in  him. 
But  he  that  hates  his  brother  is  in  the  darkness, 
And  is  walking  in  the  dark. 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION  :    EPISTLES  343 

And  does  not  know  where  he  is  going, 
Because  the  darkness  has  bhnded  his  eyes. 

5.  The  Three  Ages 

I  am  writing  to  you,  httle  children, 

Because  your  sins  have  been  forgiven  for  his  name's 
sake. 
I  am  writing  to  you,  fathers. 

Because  you  have  come  to  know  him  who  existed 
from  tlie  beginning. 
I  am  writing  to  you,  young  men. 

Because  you  have  conquered  the  Evil  One. 

I  have  written  to  you,  little  ones. 

Because  you  have  come  to  know  the  Father. 
I  have  written  to  you,  fathers. 

Because  you  have  come  to  know  him  who  existed 
from  the  beginning. 
I  have  written  to  you,  young  men, 

Because  you  are  strong, 

And  God's  Message  remains  in  you. 

And  you  have  conquered  the  Evil  One. 

6.  Love  of  the  World 

Do  not  love  the  world. 
Nor  the  things  that  pertain  to  the  world. 
If  any  one  love  the  world, 
The  Father's  love  is  not  in  him. 
Because  everything  that  pertains  to  the  world — 
The  desire  of  the  flesh 
And  the  desire  of  the  eyes 
And  the  vainglory  of  life — 

Had  its  source,  not  from  the  Father,  but  from  the 
world. 


344  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  the  world  is  passing  away,  together  with  its  de- 
sires, 
But  he  that  does  God's  will  continues  forever. 

7.  Antichrist 

Little  children,  the  last  days  are  here,  and  as  you  have 
heard  that  Antichrist  is  coming,  even  now  many  Anti- 
christs have  arisen ;  whence  we  perceive  that  the  last  days 
are  here.  They  went  out  from  us,  but  they  did  not 
belong  to  us — for  if  they  had  belonged  to  us,  they  would 
have  continued  with  us — but  [they  went  out]  in  order 
that  it  might  be  made  clear  that  none  of  them  belonged 
to  us.  And  you  have  an  anointing  from  the  Holy  One. 
You  all  know — I  have  not  written  to  you  because  you  do 
not  know  the  truth,  but  because  you  do  know  it,  and 
because  no  lie  has  its  origin  in  the  truth. 

Who  is  the  liar  except  the  one  who  denies  that  Jesus  is 
the  Christ?  This  is  the  Antichrist,  he  that  rejects  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  No  one  that  rejects  the  Son  has 
even  the  Father.  As  for  you,  let  what  you  heard  from 
the  first  continue  in  you.  If  what  you  heard  from  the 
first  does  continue  in  you,  and  you  continue  in  the  Son, 
you  will  continue  in  the  Father  also.  And  this  is  the 
promise  that  he  himself  made  us — the  Life  Eternal. 

I  have  written  these  things  to  you  concerning  those 
that  are  leading  you  astray.  And  as  to  you — the  gift 
of  the  Spirit  that  you  received  from  him  remains  in 
you  and  you  have  no  need  that  any  one  teach  you,  but  as 
his  gift  of  the  Spirit  teaches  you  about  everything,  and 
is  true,  not  false,  and  just  as  it  taught  you,  remain  united 
to  him.  And  now,  little  children,  remain  united  in  him, 
in  order  that,  if  he  appear,  we  may  have  confidence,  and 
may  not  in  shame  shrink  from. him  at  his  coming.  If 
you  know  that  he  is  righteous,  you  recognize  that  every 
one  whose  conduct  is  right  has  been  given  life  by  him. 


a  new  translation  :  epistles  345 

8.  The  Character  of  God's  Children 

See  what  sort  of  love  the  Father  has  given  us 

That  we  should  be  called  children  of  God, 

And  such  we  are. 

On  account  of  this  the  world  does  not  recognize  us, 

Because  it  has  not  come  to  know  him. 

Dear  friends,  we  are  children  of  God  now, 

And  it  is  not  yet  made  clear  what  we  shall  be. 

We  know  that  if  he  appear  we  shall  be  like  him. 

Because  we  shall  see  him  just  as  he  is. 

And  every  one  that  has  this  hope  resting  on  Him, 

makes  himself  pure, 
Even  as  he  is  pure. 

Every  one  that  is  committing  sin  is  also  committing 
violation  of  law,  for  sin  is  the  violation  of  law.  And 
you  know  that  he  appeared  to  take  away  sins,  and  there 
is  no  sin  in  him.  No  one  that  continues  in  union  with 
him  lives  in  sin ;  no  one  that  lives  in  sin  has  seen  him  or 
come  to  know  him.  Little  children,  let  no  one  lead  you 
astray:  He  that  continues  in  right  conduct  is  righteous, 
even  as  he  is  righteous ;  he  that  continues  to  commit 
sin  is  of  the  devil,  because  the  devil  lives  in  sin  [as  he 
has]  from  the  first.  The  Son  of  God  appeared  for  this 
purpose :  to  destroy  the  devil's  works. 

No  one  that  has  been  given  life  from  God  continues 
to  commit  sin,  because  His  vital  power  remains  in  him 
and  he  cannot  continue  to  sin,  because  he  has  been  given 
life  from  God.  By  this  test  it  is  evident  who  God's  chil- 
dren are,  and  who  are  the  devil's  children :  every  one  that 
does  not  live  in  righteousness  is  not  [a  child]  of  God, 
nor  is  he  that  does  not  love  his  brother.  Because  this 
is  the  Message  that  you  heard  from  the  first,  that  we 
should  love  each  other.  [Be]  not  like  Cain,  who  was 
[a  child]   of  the  Evil  One,  and  murdered  his  brother. 


346  THE   JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

And  for  what  reason  did  he  murder  him?    Because  his 
deeds  were  wicked,  and  his  brother's  were  righteous. 

9.  Love  the  Badge  of  the  New  Life 

Do  not  wonder,  brothers,  if  the  world  hates  you.  We 
know  that  we  have  passed  over  from  death  to  Hfe,  because 
we  love  our  brothers.  He  that  does  not  love  remains  in 
death.  Every  one  that  hates  his  brother  is  a  murderer, 
and  we  know  that  no  murderer  has  eternal  life  con- 
tinuing in  him.  We  recognize  love  by  this  test:  He 
laid  down  his  life  for  our  sake ;  and  we  ought  to  lay 
down  our  lives  for  the  sake  of  our  brothers.  But  who- 
ever has  the  world's  resources  and  beholds  his  brother  in 
need,  yet  shuts  his  heart  against  him — how  does  the  love 
of  God  remain  as  an  active  power  in  him?  Little  children, 
let  us  not  indulge  in  mere  talk  about  love,  but  let  our  love 
be  practical  and  genuine.  By  this  we  shall  learn  that 
we  draw  our  being  from  the  Truth,  and  shall  assure 
our  heart  before  him,  as  to  anything  for  which  our  con- 
science condemns  us;  because  God  is  greater  than  our 
conscience  and  knows  all  things.  Dear  friends,  if  the 
conscience  does  not  condemn,  we  have  confidence  toward 
God;  and  we  receive  from  him  whatever  we  ask,  be- 
cause we  obey  his  commandments  and  do  the  things  that 
are  pleasing  in  his  sight.  And  this  is  his  commandment, 
that  we  trust  in  the  name  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and 
love  each  other,  even  as  he  gave  us  commandment.  And 
he  that  obeys  his  commandments  continues  in  mutual 
fellowship  with  him. 

10.  The  Test  of  the  Spirit 

And  by  this  we  recognize  that  he  dwells  in  us,  from 
the  Spirit  that  he  gave  us.  Dear  friends,  do  not  trust 
every  spirit,  but  test  the  spirits  and  see  if  they  come 


A  NEW  translation:  epistles  347 

from  God,  because  many  false  prophets  have  gone  forth 
into  the  world.  You  may  recognize  the  Spirit  of  God 
by  this  test:  every  spirit  that  acknowledges  that  Jesus 
Christ  has  come  in  the  flesh  comes  from  God,  and  every 
spirit  that  does  not  acknowledge  Jesus  does  not  come 
from  God.  And  this  is  the  spirit  of  the  Antichrist;  you 
have  heard  that  it  is  coming,  and  in  fact  it  is  already 
in  the  world.  You  are  of  God,  little  children,  and  you 
have  conquered  them,  because  he  that  is  in  you  is  greater 
than  he  that  is  in  the  world.  They  are  of  earthly  origin. 
On  this  account  they  are  talking  as  earthly  origin  prompts, 
and  the  world  is  listening  to  them.  But  we  derive  our 
life  from  God.  He  that  knows  the  character  of  God  hears 
us;  one  who  does  not  derive  his  life  from  God  does  not 
hear  us.  From  this  test  we  recognize  the  spirit  of  truth 
and  the  spirit  of  deceit. 

II.  God  Is  Love 

Dear  friends,  let  us  love  each  other,  because  love  has 
its  source  in  God,  and  every  one  that  loves  has  received 
life  from  God  and  knows  the  character  of  God.  He  that 
does  not  love  has  not  learned  the  nature  of  God,  because 
God  is  love.  God's  love  was  made  evident  in  our  case 
by  this :  God  sent  forth  into  the  world  his  Son,  the  Only- 
Begotten,  in  order  that  we  may  live  through  him.  We  can 
see  the  true  nature  of  love  in  this:  we  have  not  loved 
God  [of  ourselves],  but  he  himself  loved  us  and  sent 
forth  his  Son  as  a  sacrificial  oflfering  for  our  sins.  Dear 
friends,  if  God  loved  us  like  that,  we  also  are  bound 
to  love  each  other.  No  one  has  ever  looked  upon  God. 
If  we  love  each  other,  God  dwells  in  us,  and  his  love 
has  been  made  perfect  in  us.  We  recognize  that  we  con- 
tinue in  mutual  fellowship  with  him  by  this:  he  has 
given  us  of  his  Spirit.     And  we  have  beheld  and  are 


348  THE  JOHANNINE  WRITINGS 

testifying  that  the  Father  sent  forth  the  Son  as  Deliverer 
of  the  world.  Whoever  shall  acknowledge  that  Jesus 
is  God's  Son,  God  dwells  in  him  in  mutual  fellow- 
ship. And  we  have  come  to  know  and  have  put  our  trust 
in  the  love  that  God  has  in  our  case.  God  is  love,  and 
he  that  dwells  in  love  dwells  in  mutual  fellowship  with 
God.  Our  mutual  love  has  been  made  perfect  to  this 
end:  that  we  may  have  confidence  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment; because  what  he  is  we  are  also  in  this  world. 
There  is  no  fear  in  love,  but  perfect  love  casts  out  fear, 
because  fear  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  punishment,  and 
he  that  fears  has  not  been  made  perfect  in  love.  We 
love  because  he  first  loved  us.  If  any  one  say,  "  I  love 
God,"  and  hates  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar;  for  he  that 
does  not  love  his  brother  whom  he  has  seen,  cannot 
love  God  whom  he  has  not  seen.  And  we  have  this 
commandment  from  him,  "  He  that  loves  God  shall  love 
his  brother  also." 

12.  Faith  Is  the  Victory 

Every  one  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  has 
received  life  from  God,  and  every  one  who  loves  him 
that  gave  life  loves  him  that  received  it  from  him.  We 
recognize  that  we  love  the  children  of  God  by  this  test: 
we  love  God  and  are  doing  as  he  commands.  For  this 
is  the  love  of  God,  to  obey  continually  his  commandments ; 
and  his  commandments  are  not  burdensome,  because 
every  one  that  has  received  life  from  God  is  conquering 
the  world.  And  this  is  the  victory  that  has  been  gained 
over  the  world — our  faith.  Who  is  he  that  is  conquering 
the  world,  if  not  he  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  God's  Son? 

13.  The  Three  Witnesses 

This  is  he  that  became  known  through  water  and 
blood,  Jesus  Christ;  not  in  the  water  only,  but  in  the 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    EPISTLES  349 

water  and  the  blood.  x\nd  the  Spirit  is  he  that  is 
testifying,  because  the  Spirit  is  Truth.  For  there  are 
three  that  are  testifying:  the  Spirit,  the  water,  and  the 
blood,  and  the  three  are  for  the  one  [truth].  If  we  do 
not  receive  the  testimony  of  men,  the  testimony  of  God 
is  greater — for  this  is  the  testimony  that  God  has  given 
concerning  his  Son.  He  that  puts  his  trust  in  God's 
Son  has  the  testimony  within  himself ;  he  that  does 
not  trust  God  has  made  him  a  liar,  because  he  has  not 
accepted  the  testimony  that  God  has  given  concerning  his 
Son.  And  this  is  the  testimony:  God  gave  us  Eternal 
Life,  and  this  Life  consists  in  union  with  his  Son.  He 
that  has  the  Son  has  the  Life,  and  he  that  does  not  have 
God's  Son  does  not  have  the  Life.  I  have  written  these 
things  to  you,  that  you  may  know  that  you  have  Eternal 
Life — those  of  you  who  trust  in  the  name  of  God's  Son. 

14.  Prayer 

And  this  is  the  confidence  that  we  have  with  regard 
to  him;  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will  he 
hears  us.  And  if  we  know  that  he  hears  us,  whatever 
we  ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the  things  that  we  have 
asked  of  him.  If  any  one  see  his  brother  sinning  a  sin 
that  does  not  involve  loss  of  spiritual  life,  he  will  pray 
and  will  give  him  life — in  the  case  of  such  as  do  not 
sin  to  the  destruction  of  their  spiritual  life.  There  is 
a  sin  that  results  in  complete  loss  of  spiritual  life;  I 
do  not  say  that  one  will  pray  in  behalf  of  that.  Every 
form  of  wrong-doing  is  sin,  and  there  is  a  sin  that  does 
not  result  in  loss  of  spiritual  life. 

EPILOGUE 

We  know  that  every  one  who  has  received  life  from 
God  does  not  continue  in  sin. 


350  THE  JOHANNINE   WRITINGS 

But  he  that  has  been  given  life  by  God  obeys  him, 

And  the  Evil  One  does  not  lay  hold  of  him. 

We  know  that  our  being  is  from  God, 

And  the  entire  world  is  in  the  domain  of  the  Evil  One. 

And  we  know  that  the  Son  of  God  has  come  and  has 

given  us  power  of  discrimination, 
That  we  may  recognize  the  true  God,  and  may  be  in 

fellowship  with  the  true  God, 
Because  we   are  in   fellowship   with  his    Son,   Jesus 

Christ. 
He  is  the  true  God  and  Eternal  Life. 

Little  children,  guard  yourselves   from  false  objects 
of  devotion. 


A  NEW  translation:  epistles  351 

THE  SECOND   EPISTLE  OF  JOHN 
The  Elder  to  the  excellent  Lady  and  her  children: 

Whom  I  love  in  the  Truth, 

And  not  I  alone,  but  all  that  know  the  Truth, 

Because  of  the  Truth  that  dwells  in  us 

And  will  be  with  us  forever. 

Grace,  mercy,  peace  will  be  with  us,  from  God  the 

Father, 
And  from  Jesus  Christ,  the   Son  of  the  Father,  in 

truth  and  love. 

It  is  a  great  joy  to  have  found  some  of  your  children 
walking  in  the  Truth,  just  as  we  received  command 
from  the  Father. 

And  now  I  beseech  you,  Lady, 

Not  as  writing  you  a  new  command. 

But  that  which  we  had  from  the  beginning. 

That  we  love  one  another. 

And  this  is  love, 

That  we  walk  according  to  his  command. 
This  is  the  command, 

Even  as  you  heard  from  the  beginning, 
That  you  should  walk  in  it. 
Because  many   impostors   have   gone   forth   into  the 
world 
Who  do  not  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  has  come  in 
the  flesh. 

Look  to  yourselves,  that  you  do  not  lose  what  you 
have  wrought. 
But  receive  a  full  wage. 


352  THE   JOHANNINE    WRITINGS 

Every  one  that  presses  forward  and  abides  not  in  the 

Teaching  of  the  Christ,  has  not  God ; 
He  that  abides  in  the  Teaching,  has  both  the  Father 

and  the  Son. 
If  any  one  comes  to  you  and  brings  not  this  Teaching, 
Do  not  receive  him  into  the  house, 
And  speak  him  no  greeting ; 
For  he  that  greets  him  shares  in  his  evil  deeds. 

Having  many  things  to  write  you,  I  would  not  with 
paper  and  ink,  but  hope  to  come  to  you  and  talk  lip  to 
lip,  that  your  joy  may  be  made  complete. 

The  children  of  your  excellent  sister  salute  you. 


A    NEW   TRANSLATION  :    EPISTLES  35j 

THE  THIRD  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN 

The  Elder  to  Gaius,  the  beloved,  whom  I  love  in  Truth. 

Dear  friend  :  In  all  things  I  pray  that  you  may  prosper 
and  may  have  your  health,  just  as  your  soul  prospers. 
For  it  was  a  great  joy  when  brothers  came  and  testified 
to  your  [fidelity  to  the]  Truth,  even  as  you  walk  in  Truth. 
Greater  joy  I  have  not  than  this:  to  hear  that  my  chil- 
dren are  walking  in  Truth. 

Dear  friend,  you  act  loyally  in  whatever  you  do  for  the 
brothers,  and  to  strangers  as  well,  who  testified  before 
the  church  to  your  love :  whom  you  will  do  well  to  speed 
on  their  way  in  a  manner  worthy  of  God.  For  on  behalf 
of  the  Name  they  went  forth,  receiving  nothing  from 
the  heathen.  So  we  ought  to  show  hospitality  to  such, 
that  we  may  become  fellow  workers  with  the  Truth. 

I  wrote  something  to  the  church,  but  D'iotrephes,  who 
loves  to  be  first  among  them,  does  not  welcome  us. 
Therefore,  if  I  come,  I  will  recall  the  deeds  that  he  does, 
babbling  against  us  with  wicked  words ;  and  not  con- 
tent with  this,  not  only  himself  does  not  welcome  the 
brothers,  but  hinders  those  that  are  willing  and  expels 
them  from  the  church. 

Dear  friend,  imitate  not  evil  but  good. 

He  that  does  good  is  of  God ; 

He  that  does  evil  has  not  seen  God. 

To  Demetrius  testimony  has  been  borne  by  all  and  by 
the  Truth  itself;  and  we  also  testify,  and  you  know  that 
our  testimony  is  true. 

I  had  much  to  write  you,  but  will  not  write  with  ink 
and  pen ;  I  hope  soon  to  see  you  and  then  we  shall  talk 
lip  to  lip. 

Peace  be  to  you !  The  friends  salute  you.  Salute  the 
friends  by  name. 

X 


INDEX 


Abbot,  Ezra,  on  Justin's  quotations, 

145- 
Advocate.    (See   "  Comforter.") 
Alogi,    the,   and   the   Fourth   Gospel, 

137. 
Andrew,  disciple  of  Jesus,   82,   143, 

269  seq. 
Angel:  of  the  small  roll,  32,  2ij. 

of  glad  tidings,  245. 

of  the  harvest,  246. 

of  Babylon's  fall,  252. 

of  the  sun,  257. 

of  the  abyss,  258. 
Angels:  of  the  churches,  26. 

of  the  trumpets,  30  seq.,  233. 

of  the  bowls,  247  seq.,  250,  261. 
Antichrist:  (in  Apocalypse),  36,  242. 

(in    Epistle),    114   seq.,    121,    122, 
344- 
Apocalypse:  common  estimate  of,  3, 
4- 

a  dramatic  poem,  s.  6,  187. 

and  Greek  tragedy,  6. 

date  of,  7,  20  seq.,  33. 

key  to  interpretation  of,  8. 

significance  of,  9  seq. 

Ramsay  on,  10,  11. 

high  estimate  of,  8,   12. 

resemblance  to  Jewish  apocalypses, 
II. 

critical    theories    of,    13    seq.,    23, 

133.  179. 
literary  unity  of,   14  seq.,   16. 
Hebraisms  of,   17  seq. 
"  sevens  "  of,  19. 
illegitimate   inferences   about,   20. 
vocabulary  of,  22. 
how  to  be  interpreted,  24. 
prophecy,  not  prediction,  40. 
its   representation    of   heaven,    47- 

49,  258  seq. 
the  Fathers  on,   138-142. 
modern  critics  on,  179-181. 


Apocalypses,  Jewish,  11,  16. 
Aramaic,     translations     from,     into 

Greek,  180. 
Armageddon,  42,  248. 
Arnold,  Matthew,  on  Fourth  Gospel, 

176,  177. 
Axiom  of  criticism,  134,  180. 

"  Babylon,"    symbol    of    Rome,    40, 

245,  252,  253,  255. 
Bacon,  Professor:  on  Fourth  Gospel, 
160. 

On  "  John's  "  passover  date,   164. 

on  the  Apocalypse,  179. 

on  Johannine  writings,   183. 

on    text    of    Fourth    Gospel,    213, 
267. 
Basilides,  and  Fourth  Gospel,  151. 
Baur:  on  Epistle  of  John,  102. 

on  Fourth  Gospel,   133,  134,  151. 

on  Asiatic  residence  of  John,   152. 
Beast:   (first),  symbolism  of  the,  36, 
37>  239,  242-249,  258. 

(second),  243. 
Bengel,  on  the  soul's  progress,  125. 
Bentley,  on  Pope's  Homer,  171,  172. 
Bethany,  supper  at,  93,   159,  308. 
Bethesda,    lame   man    healed  at,    87, 

163,  280  seq. 
Bible:  literary  study  of,  5. 

inspiration  of,  3,  4,  10,  172. 
Blind  man,  healing  of,  91,  297  seQ. 
Booths,  feast  of,  89,  290  seq. 
Bousset,  on  the  Apocalypse,  180. 
Bowls,  vision  of  the  seven,  39-42. 
Bread  of  Life,  Jesus  is,  88,  287. 

Cxsar,    Julius:    battle    of,    with    the 
Nervii,  163. 

commentaries  of,  68,   190. 
Cana:  first  sign  at,  83,  163,  270  seq. 

second  sign  at,  86,  278  seq. 
Canon:  our  private,  3. 


355 


356 


INDEX 


the  Apocalypse  in  the,  8. 
Muratorian,   143. 
Cannae,  battle  of,  163. 
Capernaum:    ministry    of    Jesus    at, 
83,  284  seq. 
discourse  at,  88,  287  seq. 
Cerinthus,   and   Fourth   Gospel,    137, 

139- 
"  Chorizantes,"     the     modern,      182, 

183. 
Churches,   the   seven,   letters   to,   25 
seq.,  218  seq. 
angels  of,  26. 
Clement   of   Alexandria,    on  purpose 

of  Fourth  Gospel,  61,  143,  144. 
Columbus,    and    archives    of    Barce- 
lona,  149- 
Comforter,  coming  of,  96,   317  seq. 
Commandment,    the    new,    95,    no, 

316,  342. 
Criticism:  qualifications  for,  52-55. 
unjustifiable  canon  of,  166. 
"axioms"  of,  134,  180. 
largely  subjective,  183. 

Dante:  different  styles  of,  184. 
symbolism    of    three    in    writings 
of,   188. 
Day  of  Judgment,  43,  259. 
Death,  the  second,  258. 
"  Diatessaron  ":    Tatian's,    144,    151. 

Sanday  on,  144. 
Dionysius   of  Alexandria   on  Apoca- 
lypse, 139,   i47i  153- 
Divine  Comedy,  structure  of,  189. 
Docetism,  103,  121. 
Dods,  Marcus,  cited,  156. 
Domitian,  Emperor,  21,  22,  37,  138, 

179. 
Dragon:  symbolism  of,  36,  241,  242, 
243.  249,  258. 
cast  into  abyss,  43,  258. 
Drummond,  J.,  cited,  61,  157. 

Easter,  controversy  about,  165. 
Ebrard,  on  critical  theories,  178. 
Editor,  a  modern  literary  workman, 

14.      (See  "  Redactor.") 
Ephesus:  presbyters  of,   158. 

John's  residence  in,  160. 

leads  quartodecimans,  165. 

letter  to  church  of,  219  seq. 


Eusebius:    on    Fourth    Gospel,    58, 
137. 
on  two  Johns,  153. 
Exegesis:  defined,   4. 

new  etyle  of,  required,   172. 
Ezekiel,  influence  of,  on  Apocalypse, 
182. 

Faith.      (See   "  Trust.") 

Feeding  multitude,  miracle   of,   166, 

282   seq. 
Fire,  Lake  of,  258,  259. 
Florinus,  Polycarp's  letter  to,  142. 
Fourth  Gospel.     (See  "  Gospel.") 

"  Glory,"  93,  96,  267,  271. 
God  is  Light,   104,  341. 
Gog  and  Magog,  45,  259. 
Godet  on  discourses  of  Jesus,  170. 
Goethe,  different  styles  of,   184. 
Gospel,    Fourth:    literary    study    of, 
50. 
Logos  doctrine  of,  55,  266. 
the  gospel  of  the  Incarnation,  56, 

121,  267. 
purpose  of,  58,  62. 
Eusebius'    "  supplementary "    the- 
ory of,  58-61. 
Clement  of  Alexandria  on,  61,  143, 

144. 
Luther  on,  62,  79. 
analysis  of,  63,  64. 
unity  of,  67,  68  seq.,  175. 
poetic  element  of,  67,  68,  187. 
characteristic  words  of,  68-75. 
paucity  of  particles  in,  76,   181. 
not    biography,    but    evangel,    77, 

166. 
peculiar  quality  of,  78,  79,  174,  i77- 
content  of,  80  seq. 
epilogue  to,  98. 
Baur   on,    133,    134,    iSi- 
"  scientific   criticism    of,   135   seQ., 

152,   175  seq. 
tradition  about,    137   seq.,    179.        ' 
authorship  of,  a  question  of  criti- 
cism, not  dogmatics,  155  seq. 
Palestinian  color  of,   159. 
"the    Jews"    in,    71,    83,    91-93. 
159,  164,  172,  271,  281,  288,  291, 
292,  296,  298,  303,  30s,  306,  328, 
331. 


INDEX 


357 


and   the   Easter   controversy,    164, 

165. 
discourses    of   Jesus    in,    167,    270 

seq.,  275  seq.,  281  seq.,  286  seq., 

291  seq.,  299  seq.,  301   seq.,  313 

seq. 
and  Messianic  character  of  Jesus, 

172  seq. 
large  human  element  in,   173. 
portrait  of  Jesus  in,  172  seq. 
rearrangement  of  text  of,  212  seq. 
Grant,    General,    "  two    tunes "    of, 

Si- 
Greek:    Apocalypse   written    in    bad, 

17,  18. 
of  Apocalypse  and  Gospel,  181. 

Habits,  persistence  of,  185. 

Hades,  228,  258. 

Hackett,  Horatio  B.,  on  i  John,  99. 

Harlot  (symbol  of  Rome),  250,  255. 

Har-Magedon.         (See      "  Armaged- 
don.") 

Harnack:  on  Gospel  of  Luke,  134. 
on  Johannine  writings,  181. 

Heaven,    John's    picture    of,    47-49, 
260  seq. 

Helper.     (See  "  Comforter.") 

Hilgenfeld,  on  date  of  Fourth  Gos- 
pel,  151,   152. 

Holtzmann,     on     unity     of     Fourth 
Gospel,  67,   175. 

Homer:  Pope's  translation  of,  172. 
prose  versioti  of,  209. 

Humboldt,   and    the   argument    from 
silence,  149. 

Ignatius:  and  Polycarp,   148. 

and  Fourth  Gospel,   150. 
Iliad,  Pope's  translation  of,   172. 
Incarnation:  fact  of,   103,  267. 

gospel  of,  121. 
Inspiration:  Apocalypse  claims,  3. 

effect  of,  4,  10. 

verbal,  172. 
Isaiah,   influence  of,  on  Apocalypse, 
182. 

Jackson,  H.  L.,  cited,  168. 
James,  disciple  of  Jesus,  82. 
Jerusalem:  destruction  of,  33. 
vision  of  the  New,  45-49,  261  seq. 


Jesus:   Lion  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah, 

28,  327. 
conquering  King,  43. 
preexistent  Logos,  55,  56,  163,  266. 
incarnation  of,  56,  57,  267. 
John  testifies  to,  81,  268,  275. 
first  disciples  of,  82,  269. 
first  "  sign  "  of,  at  Cana,  83,  270. 
second   "  sign "    of,    at    Cana,   86, 

276. 
cleanses  the  Temple,  83,  271. 
conversation   of,   with   Nicodemus, 

84,  272  seq. 
and     the     Samaritan    woman,    85, 

275  seq. 
heals  lame  man,  87,  280. 
discourse    of,    at    Capernaum,    88, 

286  seq. 
at  feast  of  Booths,  89,  290  seq. 
heals  man  born  blind,  91,  297. 
allegories   of   Good   Shepherd    and 

Door  by,  91,  301  seq. 
goes  to  Perea,  91,  304. 
raises  Lazarus,  92,  307. 
enters  into  Jerusalem,  94,  309. 
washes  disciples'  feet,  95,  313. 
last  discourses  of,  95,  96,  316  seq. 
prayer  of,  97,  324. 
anointed  at  Bethany,   159,  308. 
how  a  Saviour,  161. 
discourses    of,    in    Synoptics    and 

Fourth  Gospel,   167  seq.,  209. 
Meyer  on  character  of,   168. 
spoke  in  Aramaic,   171. 
poetic  form  of  teachings  of,  187. 
"  Jews,"      the.        (See      "  Gospel, 

Fourth.") 
Jews,  campaign  of  Titus  against,  31. 
"  John."      (See   "  Gospel,   Fourth.") 
John    (Apostle) :    personality   of,   77, 

174,   177- 
traditions    about,    141,    143,    146, 

147,  153,  IS4- 
author  of  Fourth  Gospel,  157,  and 

Chapters  VI  and  VII  generally, 
a  Palestinian,  159. 
John  (the  Baptist),  80,  83,  268,  274. 
John,  First  Epistle  of:  and  Wisdom 

literature,  99. 
critical  estimate  of,  99,   102. 
prologue  of,  103. 
content  of,  104  seq. 


358 


INDEX 


teaching  of,  on  sin,    105-108,   117, 
130. 

poetic  element  in,  iii. 

evidence  for,  148. 
John,  Second  Epistle  of,   132,  353. 
John,  Third  Epistle  of,  132,  355. 
Johannine  writings:  common  author- 
ship of,  140,  190,  191. 

Harnack  on,  181. 

Bacon  on,  183. 

structure  of,   186  seq. 

final     conclusions     regarding,     191 
seq. 
John    (Presbyter) :    traditions    about, 
147   seq. 

Harnack  on,   181. 
Judgment:  vision  of,  42-45,  253  seq. 

and  hearing,  88. 

Day  of,  43,  258  seq. 
Judas,  treachery  of,  89,  93,  95.  ii4. 

290,  314.  327. 
Jiilicher:  on  partition  theories,   15. 

on  Apocalypse,   179. 
Justin  Martyr:  on  Apocalypse,  138. 

and  Fourth  Gospel,   144  seq. 

Keats,  different  styles  of,  184. 
Keim:    on    unity    of   Fourth   Gospel, 

175- 
on    date    of    Fourth    Gospel,    151, 

152. 
Kiddiish,  Jesus  celebrates,  164. 
Kingdom,  vision  of,  34. 

Lamb    (Jesus),    28,    227,    228,    229, 

231,    232,    233,    244,    247,    251, 

256,  262. 
Lange,  S.  G.,  on  i  John,  102. 
Laodicea,  letter  to  church  of,  225. 
Last      Supper,     not     mentioned     in 

Fourth  Gospel,  165. 
Lazarus,  raising  of,   65,  92,    163. 

Schmiedel  on,   164. 
Life:  Jesus  the  source  of,  56,  85,  87, 

266,  276,   281,  306,  346. 
Book  of,  147- 
of  the  Christian,  116  seq. 
Light,  Jesus  is  the,  56,  73,  91.  2^(>> 

274,  300. 
Living  creatures,  28,  226,  229,  232, 

242,  256. 
Livy,  story  of  Canna:  by,  163. 


Logos:    in    Philo    and    "John,"    55. 
257- 
doctrine  of,    103,    146,   162. 
Loisy  on  Fourth  Gospel,   156. 
Love:  obedience  the  test  of,  108  seq. 
the   badge    of    the    new    life,    118 

seq.,  123,  348. 
of  the  world,   113,  345. 
the  character  of  God,  123,  349. 
the  new  commandment,   316. 
Lucian,  satires  of,  38. 
Luke,   Gospel    of:    on   Perean   minis- 
try of  Jesus,  92. 
Ramsay  and  Harnack  on,   17,  133, 

134- 
not  by  an  eye-witness,  155. 
Luther,  on  the  Fourth  Gospel,  62,  79. 

Magnificat,  the,  6. 

Malchus,  159. 

Marcion    and    the    Fourth    Gospel, 
137- 

Marco  Polo,  travels  of,   149. 

Marriage  of  the  Lamb,  256. 

Matthew,  Papias  on,   188. 

Melanchthon      and      the      Augsburg 
Confession,   150. 

Messiah:    Jesus    as,    in    Fourth   Gos- 
pel, 172,  173,  269,  275,  294,  306, 
309.  311- 
teaching    concerning    the,    81,    83, 

85,  89- 

Jewish  idea!  of,  90,  92. 
Meyer,    on    discourses    of    "  John," 

168. 
Michael,  the  angel,  241. 
Millennium,  43-45,  259. 
Milton,  John:  on  the  Apocalypse,  5. 

"  Paradise  Lost  "  of,  cited,  10. 

on  poetic  style,  68. 

"  Paradise    Regained "    of,    cited, 

173.  174- 
Montanists  and  the  Apocalypse,  138. 
Moses:  testified  of  Jesus,  88,  281. 

song  of,  247. 
Muratori,  canon  of,  143. 
Music  and  literature,  51,  52. 

Nathanael,  disciple,  82. 
Nero,  emperor,  21,  36,  37,  38,  39.  41- 
Nicodemus,     conversation     of,     with 
Jesus,   163,  169. 


INDEX 


359 


Nicolaitans,   heresy  of,  218,  221. 
Nunc  Diinittis,  7. 
Numbers,   symbolism  of: 

three,  64,  65,  66. 

seven,  19,  20,  35,  64,  65,  188. 

ten,  35,  66. 

twelve,  29,  47. 

one  thousand,  43. 

"  666,"  39- 

Origen,  quotation   of   Heracleon  by, 
152. 

Palestine    and    Fourth    Gospel,    159, 

160. 
Papias:  on  the  two  Johns,  147. 
on  death  of  apostle  John,  153. 
on  Logia  of  Matthew,   171,   188. 
Parthians,  irruptions  of,  21,  29,  32, 

229. 
Partition  theories  of  Apocalypse,  13, 

23,   179. 
Passover,    double   tradition    concern- 
ing,  163,  164. 
Patmos,    John   banished    to,    25,    31, 

153. 
Paul,  apostle:  letters  of,  16,  40. 
affinities  of,  with  "  John,"   57,  69, 
on  preexistence  of  Jesus,   89. 
Pergamos,   letter   to   church   of,   219 

seq. 
Peter:    strikes   Malchus,    159,   325. 
denies  Christ,  328. 
commission  of  Jesus  to,  339. 
Peter,  Second  Epistle  of,   150. 
Pfleiderer,   on  unity  of  Fourth  Gos- 
pel, 67. 
Philadelphia,     letter    to    church    of, 

222  seq. 
Philo:  relations  of  "  John  "  to,  55. 

Logos  doctrine  of,  146. 
Pilate,  169,  331  seq. 
Poetry:  characteristics  of  Hebrew,  6. 
literary  form  of,  7,  209. 
in   Fourth   Gospel,   67,  68. 
features  of  Oriental,  26,  46. 
Polycarp:  and  Irenaeus,  141,  142. 

letter  of,  to  the  Philippians,  148. 
Plato    pictures    Socrates,    169,    173, 

190. 
Prayer:  of  Jesus,  97,  324- 
in   I   John,   130,  351. 


Quartodecimans,  165. 

Ramsay,  Sir  William:  on  the  Apoca- 
lypse, 10,  II. 

defends  Luke,   17,  133 
Redactor,    a   useless    hypothesis,    14, 

178,   215,   249. 
Renan:   on  Armageddon,  42. 

life  of  Jesus  by,   54. 

on  discourses  of  Jesus,   167. 
Reporting,   psychology   of,    167,    168. 
Resurrection:   the   First,   257. 

Jesus  is  the,  306. 
Roll   (book) :  28,  227,  228,  264,  265. 

a  small,  32,  237,  238. 

of  Life,  243,  259,  260,  262. 
Rome:   fall  of,   predicted,  7,  21,   31, 
34.  41.  245,  252-255. 

fire  in,  21. 

pestilence  in,  31. 

persecutes  the  saints,   35. 

imperial  cult  of,   36-38,  242-244. 

called    "  Babylon,"    40,    245,    250, 
252. 

the  Harlot,  41. 

song  of  downfall  of,  41,  252  seq. 

Salmond,  S.  D.  F.,  on  i  John,  99. 
Samaria,  woman  of,  163,  275  seq. 
Sanday,  William,  on  Tatian's  "  Dia- 

tessaron,"   144. 
Sanhedrin,  89,   90. 
Santorin,  eruption  of,  31. 
Sardis,  letter  to  church  of,  221  seq. 
Schmiedel:   N.  T.  critic,    135. 
on  raising  of  Lazarus,   164. 
Scholarship,  relation  of,  to  criticism, 

50-5S- 
Schiirer  on  Fourth  Gospel,   176. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  different  styles  of, 

184. 
Seals,    vision    of    the    seven,    26-29, 

226-233. 
Seven,  symbolism  of,   19,  20,  35,  64, 

6s,    188. 
Seven  "  I  ams,"  66. 
Shakespeare,  different  styles  of,  184. 
Simon,    becomes    disciple    of    Jesus, 

82,  269.     (See  "  Peter.") 
Smyrna,  letter  to  church  of,  218  seq. 
Socrates,    report    of,    by    Xenophon 

and  Plato,  169. 


36o 


INDEX 


Solecisms,    the,    of   the    Apocalypse, 

17,  18. 
Spirit  of  God:  test  of,  120  seq.,  348. 

conceived  as  "  seven,"   25,   226. 
Spitta,    on    text    of    Fourth    Gospel, 

213- 

Style:  relation  of,  to  vocabulary,  50, 
75- 

erroneous  ideas  of,  75. 

of  Fourth  Gospel,  168  seq.,  181. 

appeals  to  esthetic  faculties,  183. 

differences  of,  in  same  author,  184. 

nature  of,  182,  185. 

mannerism  in,  186. 
Swete,  H.  B.,  quoted,  33. 
Sychar,  Jesus  at,  85,  277,  278. 
Synoptics,   and   Fourth  Gospel,    161- 
167,  174. 

TaliHud,  said  to  confirm  Fourth  Gos- 
pel, 165. 
Tatian,   "  Diatessaron  "   of,   and  the 

Fourth  Gospel,    144,   151. 
Ten,  symbolism   of,   33. 
"  Testimony,"    Johannine    idea    of, 

72,   128. 
Theophilus  of  Antioch,  143. 
Thomas,  "  the  doubter,"  97,  335. 
Thyatira,    letter    to    church    of,    222 

seq. 
Titus,  campaign  of,  against  the  Jews, 

31- 
Trajan,    emperor,    and    the    apostle 

John,  141. 
Translations,    imperfections    of,    207 

seq. 
Tree  of  Life,  symbolism  of,  47,  263. 
Trumpets,   vision   of  the   Seven,   30- 

34;   237-240. 
Trust  ("  faith  ") :  defined,  72. 
refusal  of  "  the  Jews  "  to,  8793. 
victory  of,  126  seq.,  350. 
Truth,  Jesus  is,  56,  267,  321. 
Twelve,   symbolism  of,  29,  47. 
Two  Johns  or  one,  139  seq.,  146  seq., 

153,  153,  191.   192. 

Vespucci,  Amerigo,   149. 
Vine,  allegory  of,  95,  315 


Vision:  of  the  Son  of  Man,  the,  24- 
26;  216-226. 
of    the    Seven    Seals,    26-29,    226- 

233. 
of  the  Seven  Trumpets,  30-34,  233- 

240. 
of  the  kingdom,  34-39,  240-247. 
of   the    Seven    Bowls,    39-42,   247- 

255. 
of  judgment,  42-45,  255-260. 
of  the  New  Jerusalem,  45-49,  260- 
263. 
Vocabulary:   not  same  as  style,  50, 
75. 
of  Apocalypse,  22, 
of  Fourth  Gospel,  68-75. 
of  all  Johannine  writings,  182,  192 
seq. 
Volkmar  on  date  of  Fourth  Gospel, 

152. 
Volter,    analysis    of    the    Apocalypse 

by,  13,  14,  16. 
Von  Soden  on  the  Apocalypse,  179. 

Water  of  Life,  Jesus  is,  85,  90,  261, 

264,  276. 
river  of,  263. 
Webster,   Daniel,   orations   and   con- 
versations of,  169. 
Weizsacker  and  Fourth  Gospel,  151, 

176. 
Wendt     on     Fourth     Gospel,      17s, 

176. 
Wernle   on    date   of   Fourth   Gospel, 

153. 
Westcott,  Bishop,  on  1  John,  99. 
Witnesses:  the  three   (Epistle),  127, 

350. 
the  two  (Apocalypse),  33,  239. 
Woman:    and    child,    symbolism    ofi 

35,  240  seq. 
harlot,    250,    255. 
Words  not  literature,  50. 
World,  love  of  the,  113. 

Xenophon,    picture   of   Socrates   by, 
169. 

Zion,  Mount,  244. 


INDEX  II 


GREEK  WORDS  IN  THE  TEXT 


ayaTraw,  ayajrrj,  68. 

Jiyye\ot,  22,  26. 

aSliceii',  22. 

aivtlv,  18. 

atuiv,  aiioj'ioj,  22,  70. 

dAii0eta,  69,  34O. 

aAAa,  77. 

oji^v,  69. 

dfTiXeyofievo,  138. 

oira^,  74, 

direicpiffT),  76. 

opa,  76. 

dpvi'ov,  22. 

apcrev^  I7. 

j3a<rtX6i;w,  jSao-iAeus,  /SaciAeia,  22. 
/SpovT^,  22. 

yiviaa'Kei.v,  69. 

6€,  76,  211. 
5i6a<r»ceii',  18. 
Sii/x^c,  74. 
So^a^  Jo^a^u>,  69. 
Suvofiiv,  70. 

tWev,  76. 

t'vToAds,  74. 

efwTriov,  22. 

ei-i,   18. 

epyov,  70. 

tvayycAi^w,  evayycAt'a,  75, 

^oiri,  340. 


flaAo(r(To,  22. 
flovaros,  71. 
Opdi'os,  23. 

iSoii,  iSe,  74. 
tva,  77, 
'lovSaioi,  71. 
iTTiros,  23. 

Ka9api.^ii>,  105. 
(coi,  76. 
KOiXta,  32. 
Koafiot,  71. 
Kpi'i'to,  (cpiVis,  71. 
Kvpioy,  74. 

KanPivio^  72. 
A^ywv,  76. 
\dyo9,  72,  74. 

liapTvpio),  /AopTupio,  23,  72,  129. 
fieyas,  23,  74. 
Me",  76. 
f"7,   II. 
**!»',  76. 

^{((leAi),  23. 
ftKao),  23. 

6/i.oAoyoupiei'a,   137. 
ocopia,   17,  72. 
ovv,  76,  211. 

OTl,    77. 

ovpavot,  23. 


1  Exclusive  of  the  analysis  of  vocabulary,  pp.  192,  sef. 


361 


362 


jraj'TOKpoTwp,  23. 
vrfiv^v,  74. 
Trepi^aXXu,  23. 
ntptnartiv,  74. 
jri<rTcu<i),  ttiVtis,  72, 
wfeOfio,  73. 
woSes,  18,  217. 
irpoi()T)T€u<<j,  33. 
trip,  23. 


<^<ip?.  73- 


INDEX 


(TKOTOS,    73. 

ffSifia^  73. 

TJjpew,  74,  127. 
TOt,  76. 
Tore,  74,  77. 

(^ai/epdw,  74. 
(f>a»'i7,  23. 
*"«.  73.  340- 


iio'Te,  77. 


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